Abercorn Barracks

Last updated

Abercorn Barracks
Ballykinler
Ballykinlar Huts.jpg
Abercorn Barracks
United Kingdom Northern Ireland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Abercorn Barracks
Location within Northern Ireland
Coordinates 54°15′26″N05°48′01″W / 54.25722°N 5.80028°W / 54.25722; -5.80028
TypeBarracks
Site information
OwnerDown G.A.A.
OperatorFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
Site history
Built1901
Built for War Office
In use1901- 2018

Abercorn Barracks, sometimes referred to as Ballykinlar Barracks or Ballykinler Barracks, is a former military base in Ballykinler in County Down, Northern Ireland. The surrounding training area is retained by the Ministry of Defence.

Contents

Early history

The Ballykinler Barracks were built in 1901 at the time of the Boer War but often spelled "Ballykinlar". They were renamed Abercorn Barracks in 1949 in honour of James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn who was the first Governor of Northern Ireland. [1]

Internment

A troupe of prisoners performing during their period of internment (1921) Ballykinlar internment camp players- a troupe of prisoners formed during their period of internment (21200447802).jpg
A troupe of prisoners performing during their period of internment (1921)
Irish republican internees, 1920 Ballykinlar Camp prisoners.webp
Irish republican internees, 1920

The sprawling site was pressed into service as an internment camp during the Irish War of Independence in 1919. [2] After the Partition of Ireland, the new Government of Northern Ireland continued to use the base for internment. [3] There appear to have been attempts by those incarcerated to maintain a normal social structure within the confines of the camp and evidence exists of an orchestra and some examples of typical prisoner art are still available for viewing in museum collections in Ireland, including examples of humorous cartoons. [2] 'Camp tokens' also circulated within the camp in place of money, being made of printed cardboard. [4]

A former Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner, Louis Joseph Walsh (a native of County Londonderry and later a judge in County Donegal), published a book in 1921 about his experiences in various institutions in Northern Ireland including a chapter about his time in Ballykinlar Camp which describes, amongst other things, having to march for three miles, handcuffed and carrying luggage, only to be placed in bare huts with nothing to sleep in except damp straw. He continues in a second chapter to describe how the prisoners set up their own 'Council' which then began to negotiate with the military authorities for better food and conditions within the camp. "The camp regime was notoriously brutal - prisoners were shot dead for minor infractions, such as standing too close to the barbed wire fence that kept them penned in (the camp magazine was titled Barbed Wire)." [5]

Ballykinlar internment camp housed over 2,000 men from the thirty-two counties of Ireland and was the first mass internment camp in Ireland during the Irish War of Independence. [6]

Three prisoners were shot dead and five died of malnourishment/maltreatment in Ballykinlar in 1921: two Westmeath volunteers - Patrick Sloan and Joseph Tormey were shot and killed on 17 January 1921, Tadhg Barry was shot and killed on 15 November 1921. [7] Maurice Galvin died on 9 April 1921 as a result of serious head injuries sustained when loyalists attacked a prison boat in the Lagan River, Belfast (possibly the Prison Ship HMS Argenta). [8] Séan (Jack) O’Sullivan died on 3 May 1921 as a result of a severe beating which allegedly occurred at the time of his arrest. [9] Patrick O'Toole died of pneumonia on 6 February 1921 probably from a cold contracted while being transported on a Royal Navy destroyer to Ballykinlar and Maurice Quinn died on 6 July 1921. [4] [10] Notable internees included Seán Lemass (future Taoiseach) and Peadar Kearney, who wrote the Irish national anthem. [1]

After peace was declared in 1921 the internees were released but it does appear that their ordeal did not necessarily end after leaving as evidence exists that a train carrying released prisoners from Ballykinlar was attacked at Thurles, County Tipperary, injuring three Sinn Féin passengers and several members of the crowd. [11]

In 1971, during Operation Demetrius, which reimposed internment in Northern Ireland, Ballykinlar became a Regional Holding Centre for internees. [12] During this time there were many allegations of physical and mental abuse by Royal Military Police and Royal Ulster Constabulary Special Branch personnel at Ballykinlar. [13]

Military uses

Sign indicating restricted access Ballykinlar Danger Zone.jpg
Sign indicating restricted access

During the First World War the 36th Ulster Division formed from the Ulster Volunteers did much of its training at Ballykinlar. [1] A journalist of the time writing in the Belfast Newsletter waxed lyrical about the location describing it as a "camp situated in the centre of picturesque country, with the mountains of Mourne forming an imposing background. On the edge of the camping ground, and within easy walking distance of the tents, is an arm of Dundrum Bay, and here the men will have swimming and bathing drills. Within sight of the camp is the beautifully situated demesne of Tyrella." [14] Later in the war, the camp housed soldiers recovering from injury or illness with nearly 4000 men resident in 1917. [1]

During the Second World War the camp continued to be a military training establishment and the North Irish Horse record moving there to take over Valentine Tanks and convert to an armoured regiment. [15] Troops from the United States, including those from the 1st Armored Division [16] also trained at Ballykinlar. [17]

The camp also held German and Italian prisoners of war. The prisoners built a football pitch which was used after the war for training by both the English and Scottish national sides before Home Championship matches against Northern Ireland. [1] On 10 February 1940 the IRA raided the barracks in search of weapons. The raid was successful and yielded guns, maps, photographs and information on troop movements. During this time several troops stationed there were convicted of selling weapons to the IRA. [18]

The year 1974 saw the Troubles in Ballykinler when a 300 lb Provisional Irish Republican Army van bomb killed two British Army soldiers, injured many others and destroyed the Sandes Homes for Soldiers on the base. [1] [19] The dead servicemen were Private Swanick, a member of the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment, and Lance Corporal Alan Coughlan, a member of the Royal Welch Fusiliers. [20]

The base was used as a training centre in the 1970s and 1980s by the Ulster Defence Regiment whose 3rd (County Down) Battalion was also based there. [21]

As peace has returned to Northern Ireland the British troops based there were withdrawn from the streets with the ending of Operation Banner and became garrison troops. In 2008 it was announced that the 2nd Battalion of The Rifles based at Ballykinlar would be deployed to Kosovo to "combat fresh violence between ethnic Albanians and minority Serbs." [22]

Sandes Home, the civilian charity which provides leisure and restaurant facilities in some bases, has had a presence at Ballykinlar Camp for over 100 years. In early 2009 a car bomb was found close to the base, which was thought to have been abandoned by dissident republicans. [23]

Later military use and closure

Major renovation was carried out at the Barracks in 2008 and the camp then had 290 married quarters. [24] The 2nd Battalion The Rifles moved out to Thiepval Barracks in June 2014. [25] In November 2016 the Ministry of Defence announced that the site would close in 2018, with only the "Training Area" (firing ranges) retained. [26] Down GAA plans to build a centre of excellence at the former barracks. [27] [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Maze</span> 1971–2000 prison in Northern Ireland

HM Prison Maze was a prison in Northern Ireland that was used to house paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles from August 1971 to September 2000. On 15 October 1974 Irish Republican internees burned 21 of the compounds used to house the internees thereby destroying much of Long Kesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish War of Independence</span> 1919–1921 war between Irish and British forces

The Irish War of Independence or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-military Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and its paramilitary forces the Auxiliaries and Ulster Special Constabulary (USC). It was part of the Irish revolutionary period.

The Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) was an infantry regiment of the British Army established in 1970, with a comparatively short existence ending in 1992. Raised through public appeal, newspaper and television advertisements, their official role was the "defence of life or property in Northern Ireland against armed attack or sabotage" but unlike troops from Great Britain they were never used for "crowd control or riot duties in cities". At the time the UDR was the largest infantry regiment in the British Army, formed with seven battalions plus another four added within two years.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire) was an infantry regiment of the British Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Irish War of Independence</span>

This is a timeline of the Irish War of Independence of 1919–21. The Irish War of Independence was a guerrilla conflict and most of the fighting was conducted on a small scale by the standards of conventional warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curragh Camp</span> Irish army base and college

The Curragh Camp is an army base and military college in The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main training centre for the Irish Defence Forces and is home to 2,000 military personnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballykinler</span> Village in County Down, Northern Ireland

Ballykinler, often transcribed as Ballykinlar, is a village and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies 12 kilometres south west of Downpatrick, in the parish of Tyrella and Dundrum. In the 2001 census it had a population of 348 people. It is within the Newry, Mourne and Down area and runs parallel to the Irish Sea coast. Located within the Lecale Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the village is surrounded by low drumlins and marshes. It is also the site of a former British Army base known as Abercorn Barracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paddy Daly</span> Irish Army general & IRA senior officer (1888–1957)

Paddy Daly (1888–1957) sometimes referred to as Paddy O'Daly, served in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence and subsequently held the rank of major-general in the Irish National Army from 1922 to 1924.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Banner</span> 1969–2007 British military operation in Northern Ireland during the Troubles

Operation Banner was the operational name for the British Armed Forces' operation in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 2007, as part of the Troubles. It was the longest continuous deployment in British military history. The British Army was initially deployed, at the request of the unionist government of Northern Ireland, in response to the August 1969 riots. Its role was to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and to assert the authority of the British government in Northern Ireland. This involved counter-insurgency and supporting the police in carrying out internal security duties such as guarding key points, mounting checkpoints and patrols, carrying out raids and searches, riot control and bomb disposal. More than 300,000 soldiers served in Operation Banner. At the peak of the operation in the 1970s, about 21,000 British troops were deployed, most of them from Great Britain. As part of the operation, a new locally-recruited regiment was also formed: the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Headquarters Northern Ireland</span> Military unit

HQ Northern Ireland was the formation responsible for the British Army in and around Northern Ireland. It was established in 1922 and disbanded, replaced by a brigade-level Army Reserve formation, 38 (Irish) Brigade, in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gormanston Camp</span> Military camp in Ireland

Gormanston Camp is a military camp in Ireland and consists of approximately 260 acres. It is used for air-ground and air-defence training. It is located between Balbriggan and Drogheda along the east coastline of Ireland in County Meath in close proximity to the M1 Motorway and Gormanston railway station.

Roger McCorley was an Irish republican activist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment</span> Military unit

3rd Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment was formed in 1970 as part of the seven original battalions specified in The Ulster Defence Regiment Act 1969, which received Royal Assent on 18 December 1969 and was brought into force on 1 January 1970. It was, along with the rest of the regiment, amalgamated with the Royal Irish Rangers in 1992 to form the Royal Irish Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisburn van bombing</span> 1988 IRA attack in Northern Ireland

On 15 June 1988 an unmarked military van carrying six British Army soldiers was blown up by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) at Market Place in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. The explosion took place at the end of a charity marathon run in which the soldiers had participated. All six soldiers were killed in the attack – four outright, one on his way to hospital and another later on in hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aiken Barracks</span> Army barracks in Dundalk, Ireland

Aiken Barracks is an army barracks located in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. The barracks was originally known as Dundalk Barracks and was renamed after Frank Aiken, a commander of the Irish Republican Army and an Irish politician. It is the current Headquarters of the 27 Infantry Battalion of the Irish Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballygawley land mine attack</span> 1983 IRA attack in Northern Ireland

In the Ballygawley land mine attack of 13 July 1983, four soldiers of the British Army's Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) were killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) land mine near Ballygawley in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The soldiers were travelling in a convoy of armoured vehicles when the land mine was detonated remotely.

Maurice Donegan was an officer in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the Irish War of Independence, commanding the 5th Bantry Battalion of the Cork III Brigade. Following the Irish Civil War, he unsuccessfully contested the 1923 Irish general election as a candidate with Sinn Féin in the Cork West constituency.

Seamus Woods commanded a division of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during a period of intense conflict and was a senior leader of the newly formed Irish Free State army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Troubles in Ulster (1920–1922)</span> Conflict in Northern Ireland

The Troubles of the 1920s was a period of conflict in what is now Northern Ireland from June 1920 until June 1922, during and after the Irish War of Independence and the partition of Ireland. It was mainly a communal conflict between Protestant unionists, who wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom, and Catholic Irish nationalists, who backed Irish independence. During this period, more than 500 people were killed in Belfast alone, 500 interned and 23,000 people were made homeless in the city, while approximately 50,000 people fled the north of Ireland due to intimidation. Most of the victims were Nationalists (73%) with civilians being far more likely to be killed compared to the military, police or paramilitaries.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Orr, Philip (2012). Ballykinler Camp, The First Seven Decades, 1900-1969. Down County Museum. ISBN   978-0956727879.
  2. 1 2 "Ballykinlar Collection". Your Place and Mine - BBC. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  3. "Internment in Northern Ireland 1922-1961". Internment (by John McGuffin, 1973). Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  4. 1 2 "O'Brien Coin Guide: Ballykinlar Internment Camp Tokens (1920-21)". 13 November 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  5. Walsh, Louis Joseph (1921). On My Keeping, and in Theirs: A Record of Experiences On the Run, in Derry Gaol, and in Ballykinlar Internment Camp. Talbot Press. ISBN   9780243794775.
  6. Liam O'Duibhir, Prisoners of War - Ballykinlar Internment Camp 1920-1921 (2013), Mercier Press; ISBN   978 1 78117 0410
  7. O'Donoghue, Florence (1971), IRA Jailbreaks 1918 - 1921, Mercier Press, Dublin, Pg 16, ISBN 978 1 85635 689 3
  8. O'Halpin, Eunan & Ó Corráin, Daithí (2020), The Dead of the Irish Revolution. Yale University Press, pg 379.
  9. O'Halpin, pgs 294 & 405
  10. O'Duibhir, Liam (2009). The Donegal Awakening. Dublin: Mercier Press. p. 195. ISBN   978-1-85635-632-9.
  11. "Freed Prisoners Train is Bombed". New York Times (10 December 1921). 10 December 1921. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  12. "CAIN: HMSO: Compton Report - Report of the enquiry into allegations against the security forces of physical brutality in Northern Ireland arising out of events on 9 August, 1971". cain.ulster.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  13. McGuffin, John (1973), Internment!, Anvil Books Ltd, Tralee, Ireland, pg 95.
  14. "Volunteers at the World's End: the Ulster Division at Ballykindler Army Camp". Facebook . Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  15. "War Diaries for the North Irish Horse". North Irish Horse website. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  16. "The Americans". Second World War NI. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  17. "GIs Return to Down". Your Place and Mine - BBC. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  18. Thorne, Kathleen (2019). Echoes of Their Footsteps Volume Three. Oregon: Generation Organization. p. 235. ISBN   978-0-692-04283-0.
  19. "The bombing of Sandes Soldiers Home, Ballykinler". 1st Bn Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  20. "Royal Welch Fusiliers". Palace Barracks Memorial Garden. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  21. Ryder 191
  22. "Troops in Ulster to combat Kosovo violence". Yorkshire Post (30 April 2008). Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  23. "Abandoned Car Bomb". BBC News (31 January 2009). 31 January 2009. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  24. "Ballykinler barracks 'could close in 2016'". Newsletter. 23 July 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  25. "Army's retreat from Ballykinler base raises fears for civilian posts". Belfast Telegraph. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  26. "A Better Defence Estate" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  27. Loughran, Neil (6 November 2019). "Wraps to come off plans for Down GAA centre of excellence in Ballykinlar". The Irish News. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  28. McKenna, Micheal (22 December 2019). "Down GAA bid to have 'home of our own' as plans submitted for £5m complex at former army base". Armagh I. Retrieved 24 January 2020.