COLLINS BARRACKS | museums

1997 to present - National Museum of Ireland

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 21:34:49 +0100

1997 to present - National Museum of Ireland

As part of de-militarisation, the barracks underwent considerable redevelopment - including the conversion and linking of two sides of Clarke Square with glass faced structures. This work was awarded the country's premier award for architectural conservation, the Silver Medal for Conservation, by Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI).

Home to the Decorative Arts and History section of the National Museum, the museum also has galleries dedicated to exhibits on military history.

However, the main focus of the galleries is on arts, craft and wares, including exhibits on: Irish coins and currency, silverware, furniture, folklife and costumes, ceramics, glassware, etc. Included are artifacts such as Etruscan vases, gauntlets worn by King William at Battle of the Boyne, a life belt and oar salvaged from the wreck of the RMS Lusitania and a pocket book carried by Wolfe Tone whilst imprisoned in the Barracks.

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1920s to 1990s - Irish garrison

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 21:33:47 +0100

1920s to 1990s - Irish garrison

Under the Anglo-Irish Treaty (which marked the end of the Irish War of Independence), the complex was handed over to troops of the Irish Free State in 1922.

It was almost immediately named Collins Barracks after Michael Collins, the first commander-in-chief of the Free State, who had been killed that year. The barracks housed forces of the Free State Army through the Irish Civil War and for 70 years was home to units of the Eastern Command of the Irish Defence Forces. The 5th Infantry Battalion marched out of the barracks for the last time in 1997[4], and made way for the National Museum of Ireland.

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All Photographs are by Infomatique visit Flickr for copyright details.

1700s to 1920s - British garrison

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 21:32:36 +0100

1700s to 1920s - British garrison

Save for the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, the barracks is the earliest public building in Dublin, and was built from 1701 by the then Surveyor General under Queen Anne, Thomas Burgh. (Burgh was also the architect of the famous library building at Trinity College, Dublin.)

Built on a site originally intended for a mansion of the Duke of Ormonde, the complex has several large squares, each open on the south side. The largest (Clarke's Square) has arcaded collanades on the east and west sides, and the main buildings are faced with granite.

The oldest inhabited barracks in Europe[1] (and once one of largest), it was originally known simply as the Barracks and later the Royal Barracks, and a mainstay of British forces on the island for several hundred years.

Theobald Wolfe Tone, one of the main leaders of the 1798 rebellion was held prisoner, court-martialled and convicted of treason at the Barracks.

Through the 1800's, up to 1,500 troops of various Regiments of Foot (and up to two troops of horse) were stationed at the barracks. However, by the 1880's conditions of accommodation were dangerously inadequate, and strongly criticised following an investigation by Commissioners of the War Office as levels of disease increased[2]. This included outbreaks of enteric fever which claimed the lives of a number of men, from amongst which were members of regiments of the King's Royal Hussars – predecessor to the current regiment: The Queen's Royal Hussars.

During the 1916 Easter Rising, the 10th Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and other forces were deployed from the Royal Barracks[3] to fight the insurgent Irish Citizen Army and Irish Volunteers who occupied strongly-held positions close by on Usher's Island (under Sean Heuston), the Four Courts (under Ned Daly), and the GPO (under Pearse).

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.

All Photographs are by Infomatique visit Flickr for copyright details.

Military Re-Enactment

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 20:35:55 +0100

Photographed By Infomatique

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 20:35:51 +0100

History Re-Enacted

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 20:35:40 +0100

National Museum of Ireland, Decorative Arts and History

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 20:35:36 +0100

The Building From The Front

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 20:35:31 +0100

Long Corridor

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Very Old Letterbox

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UN Armored Car

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Large Viking Ship

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 20:35:10 +0100

Viking Ship - The Sea Stallion

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 20:35:07 +0100

The Courtyard Of The Museum

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 20:34:58 +0100