Aiken Barracks

The barracks was established following the Irish Rebellion in 1798 on the site of a disused linen mill located on Parliament Square.[1][2] The oldest building dates back to 1810.[1]

Arthur Samuel Richardson, a British Army surgeon, died in 1816 aged 38 from a wound he received in the Officers' Mess in Dundalk Barracks. His fatal wound was the result of a duel he had with a fellow officer who, allegedly, made a disparaging remark about a young woman of Richardson's acquaintance. Richardson's remains were buried in St. Nicholas Green Church graveyard in Dundalk. He had the grim distinction of being the last man to die as a result of a duel in Ireland. Reports suggest that the incident was more of a barrack-room brawl that a formal duel but his ghost reputedly haunted the Mess afterwards.[3]

The 28th Brigade Royal Field Artillery and D Squadron of the North Irish Horse were stationed in Dundalk just before the start of the Great War in 1914.[4] 28th Brigade Royal Field Artillery at that time comprised 122, 123 and 124 Batteries, with the brigade being under the command of 5th Division.[5]

17th (Reserve) Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles moved from Ballykinlar to Dundalk in August 1917 before moving to England in April 1918.[6] 397 Battery Royal Field Artillery was based in Dundalk at the end of the Great War on November 1918.[7]

The last British soldiers to occupy the barracks, who were from the Royal Field Artillery,[8] left on 13 April 1922.[9]

In April 1922 the 4th Northern Division commanded by Frank Aiken occupied Dundalk barracks as the British forces evacuated Free State territory under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.[9] The Irish Civil War began in June 1922 and on 16 July 1922 the pro-treaty 5th Northern Division led by Dan Hogan occupied Dundalk taking Aiken and his men prisoner. Just eleven days later on 27 July, some of Aiken’s IRA command under Padraig Quinn blew a hole in the wall of Dundalk prison and in fifteen minutes the operation resulted in the freeing of Republican prisoners, including Aiken himself.[1] Aiken now prepared to free the remaining republican prisoners held in Dundalk barracks. Aiken’s troops were armed with small arms and explosives because they had been supplied up until a month before by the very Army they were now going to attack. Aiken organised boats to ferry his 300 strong force across the Castletown river into Dundalk and equipped two storming parties of ten men with submachine guns and explosives.[10]

The attack commenced at 4:00 am on 14 August.[11] Though several mines failed to explode, one did blast in the back gate. The surviving sentries were machine-gunned and the walls breached. After the back gate was destroyed by the explosion Frank Aiken and about nine men rushed the breach and got through. A heavy fire was soon directed on to the attacking troops from some of the barrack rooms. However, the attackers got the upper hand as prisoners were captured. Bags of about 8 to 10 lbs of explosives were thrown into the windows of the ground floors of the barrack rooms. When those exploded the inmates generally surrendered.[11] The attack had been successful and 400 rifles and a large volume of ammunition was captured.[12] Over 300 republican prisoners had been freed from the barracks and prison in Dundalk. However, Patrick McKenna, a member of Aiken’s Division, had captured a Lancia armoured car from pro-Treaty troops elsewhere in Dundalk. When he drove it through the main gate of the barracks after the fighting had ended, his comrades, mistaking it for a Free State counter-attack, detonated a mine, killing McKenna and another man Rogers.[10]

Five pro-Treaty soldiers were dead or dying and 15 injured. Two Republicans were killed, both by their own mine, and up to 30 wounded in the fighting. Reportedly one civilian also died.[10]

Dan Hogan travelled from Dublin to Dundalk with a heavily armed column (including artillery and armoured vehicles) and retook Dundalk without resistance - shooting only an unfortunate civilian who failed to stop at a roadblock.[12]

The barracks was occupied by the Army until 1928 when part of the barracks was leased to Rawson's Footwear until 1967 when the factory closed down.[13] In 1934 the Volunteer Force was established with the Regiment of Oriel being based in Dundalk barracks.[14] During The Emergency (1939-1945) 3 & 4 Cyclist Squadrons were based in Dundalk Barracks.[15]

Observation Tower at Aiken Barracks

In 1957, at the time of the IRA Border Campaign, the Army briefly based troops in Dundalk Barracks.[16] From the late 1960s, during The Troubles, the Irish Government sent soldiers to the border area. Initially, the company-sized 1 Infantry Group was formed in Dundalk Barracks to operate along the border, however as the Troubles escalated, it was decided to establish an infantry battalion as a permanent replacement for the border infantry group. In September 1973, the 27 Infantry Battalion was established.[17] From its activation the 27 Infantry Battalion's Headquarters, Headquarters Company and A Company have been based in Dundalk.[18]

In January 2009, B and Support Companies moved to Aiken Barracks when Monaghan Military Barracks closed. B Company has since 2012 been based in Gormanston Camp, County Meath. The 27 Infantry Battalion celebrated 40 years since its establishment with a parade in Dundalk town on 31 August 2013.[19]