Ballymullen Barracks

Ballymullen Barracks (Irish: Dún Bhaile an Mhuilinn) is an Irish military installation at Tralee, County Kerry in Ireland.

Ballymullen Barracks
Dún Bhaile an Mhuilinn
Tralee, County Kerry
Ballymullen Barracks, c.1890
Ballymullen Barracks Location within Ireland
Coordinates	52.2675°N 9.6962°W / 52.2675; -9.6962
Type	Barracks
Site information
Operator	Irish Army
Site history
Built	1809-1812
Built for	War Office
In use	1812-1922
Garrison information
Garrison	Royal Munster Fusiliers

History

Royal Munster Fusiliers

The barracks were built for local militia units between 1810 and 1815.^[1] In 1873, a system of recruiting areas based on counties was instituted under the Cardwell Reforms and the barracks became the depot for the 101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers) and 104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers).^[2] Following the Childers Reforms, the 101st and 104th regiments amalgamated to form the Royal Munster Fusiliers with its depot in the barracks in 1881.^[2]

Civil War

The Royal Munster Fusiliers were disbanded at the time at the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922.^[3] The barracks were taken over by the Irish Republican Army in February 1922 and then secured by the forces of the Free State in August 1922 during the Irish Civil War.^[1]

The barracks played a role in one of the most infamous incidents of the war, namely the Ballyseedy massacre. On 6 and 7 March 1922, nine Republican prisoners were taken from the Barracks in Tralee to Ballyseedy crossroads and tied to a land mine which was detonated killing all but one.^[4]

Free State

The barracks continued to be used by the Irish Army and a newly refurbished headquarters block was opened at the barracks in April 2002.^[5]

Non-military usage

The site was used as a reception centre for asylum seekers until the centre closed in 2005.^[6]

The barracks was also used as a COVID-19 testing centre during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland.^[7]

In 2022 the barracks was used to house Ukrainian refugees following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[8]

Units based

The barracks is currently home to E Company of the 12 Infantry Battalion of the Army Reserve.^[9]

See also

• List of Irish military installations

References

1. "History of Ballymullen Barracks". Royal Munster Fusiliers Association. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
2. "Training Depots". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
3. Murphy, David (2007). Irish Regiments in the World Wars, quote: "Following the treaty that established the independent Irish Free State in 1922, it was decided to disband the regiments that had their traditional recruiting grounds in southern Ireland: The Royal Irish Regiment; The Connaught Rangers; The Prince of Wales' Leinster Regiment; The Royal Munster Fusiliers; The Royal Dublin Fusiliers; The South Irish Horse. Osprey Publishing. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-84603-015-4.
4. "Stories of the revolution: Ballyseedy and the Civil War's worst atrocity". The Irish Times. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
5. "Speech at the opening of the newly refurbished headquarters block at Ballymullen Barracks". Retrieved 18 November 2014.
6. "The rise and fall of refugees in Kerry". The Independent. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
7. "Walk-In COVID Test Centre Opens At Ballymullen Barracks On Wednesday". 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
8. "Minister confirms Ballymullen Barracks in Tralee now available for Ukrainian refugees". RadioKerry.ie.
9. "Reserve Defence Forces Contacts". www.military.ie. Retrieved 15 January 2023.