Where was Irish Command HQ in Dublin?

[Jervis]

1 hour ago, CampbellBros said:

I agree with you up to a point, but the Easter Rising feels omnipresent in Dublin, with many dedicated signs and museums, so for that reason alone one would think it would feature (perhaps the shame of surrender counts against it?). The War of Independence also seems to feature firmly in museums, but less so in public locations, maybe for the reason you mentioned.

Something of an aside, though related, but my great-grandfather, who was stationed at HQ Irish Command (which started this whole search), was the nephew of the then Lord Chancellor of Ireland, James Campbell (later Lord Glenavy). Glenavy was a lifelong staunch Unionist, but basically saw the signs and eventually tried to find an accommodation with the rebels, which post-independence led to him becoming the first Chairman of the Irish Senate. He had the following to say on his election as chair:

Very interesting, thanks for sharing. 

[FROGSMILE]

On 04/03/2024 at 23:18, CampbellBros said:

My limited impression is that you might be right. You see this quite noticeably at the Kilmainham Gaol museum, which substantially is a monument to Irish rebels against the British (as many were held and executed there), but which also features - in a small but surprisingly open and vulnerable way - the fact that it was also a location where a number of post-independence anti-Treaty fighters were held and executed by the Irish Free State, and the difficulties this created in dealing with the prison as a location for national memory. It fell into disrepair and wasn’t restored as a museum until the 60s I think.

It’s worth mentioning here, in the same thread, another associated establishment whose location has largely been lost from record.  The Irish Command School of Musketry was at Dollymount, Clontarf, Dublin on the Royal Golf course there.

Edited 9 March by FROGSMILE

[Jervis]

Thanks for sharing Frogsmile. This location as the former school of musketry is not well known and certainly not common knowledge. However it is often referred to in memories and regimental histories for those that read them. 

[FROGSMILE]

16 minutes ago, Jervis said:

Thanks for sharing Frogsmile. This location as the former school of musketry is not well known and certainly not common knowledge. However it is often referred to in memories and regimental histories for those that read them. 

It’s good that such information is preserved in a public space, and hopefully this thread can combine in one place what is known about the old Irish Command infrastructure of those times. 👍

Edited 10 March by FROGSMILE

[doyle3]

Enjoyed catching up on this thread.

A resource you might be interested in is the MIlitary Archives collection of plans, maps etc. Includes a map of the layout of Parkgate HQ site, Dollymount Musketry School, Magazine Fort etc.

https://www.militaryarchives.ie/collections/online-collections/maps-plans-drawings-collection-1702-2007

https://mpdsearch.militaryarchives.ie/

 

The National Archive in Dublin has a great set of plans re the buildings etc at RAF Tallaght

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, doyle3 said:

Enjoyed catching up on this thread.

A resource you might be interested in is the MIlitary Archives collection of plans, maps etc. Includes a map of the layout of Parkgate HQ site, Dollymount Musketry School, Magazine Fort etc.

https://www.militaryarchives.ie/collections/online-collections/maps-plans-drawings-collection-1702-2007

https://mpdsearch.militaryarchives.ie/

 

The National Archive in Dublin has a great set of plans re the buildings etc at RAF Tallaght

Thank you doyle3, the maps and plans are very interesting.  There would also have been a Bombing School and a Gas School, as each Command had their own, but I’m unsure if they were collocated at Dollymount as such concentration was sometimes the case in other command’s depending upon geographical convenience.  These schools were also linked with equivalents in France and by 1918 policies and doctrine were quite well linked up with good communication between.

Another Irish Command responsibility was the Command Depot at Ballyvonare Camp in Buttevant, County Cork, where ex wounded were finally processed via medical boards and either discharged, or fed back into the fighting line.

Does anyone know where the Bombing School and Gas School were located in Ireland? 

Edited 15 March by FROGSMILE

[doyle3]

1 hour ago, FROGSMILE said:

Thank you doyle3, the maps and plans are very interesting.  There would also have been a Bombing School and a Gas School, as each Command had their own, but I’m unsure if they were collocated at Dollymount as such concentration was sometimes the case in other command’s depending upon geographical convenience.  These schools were also linked with equivalents in France and by 1918 policies and doctrine were quite well linked up with good communication between.

Another Irish Command responsibility was the Command Depot at Ballyvonare Camp in Buttevant, County Cork, where ex wounded were finally processed via medical boards and either discharged, or fed back into the fighting line.

Does anyone know where the Bombing School and Gas School were located in Ireland? 

The Bombing School comes into play during the Easter Rising and events at Mount Street/Northumberland Ave. Located at Elm Park (now a golf course).

https://johnny-doyle.blogspot.com/2014/04/1916-grenade-school-in-dublin.html

I've not come across a Gas School in Ireland so far but there is a booklet from the school on (Abe Books at the moment (too much for me) https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Bombing-Notes-Irish-Command-School-Elm/30562920910/bd

[FROGSMILE]

9 minutes ago, doyle3 said:

The Bombing School comes into play during the Easter Rising and events at Mount Street/Northumberland Ave. Located at Elm Park (now a golf course).

https://johnny-doyle.blogspot.com/2014/04/1916-grenade-school-in-dublin.html

I've not come across a Gas School in Ireland so far but there is a booklet from the school on (Abe Books at the moment (too much for me) https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Bombing-Notes-Irish-Command-School-Elm/30562920910/bd

Thank you for both those links, I’ll look later to see if the Gas School one mentions a location.

[Airshipped]

I can dig out the list of buildings finally evacuated in December 1922 but it's a tedious chain of correspondence, months of shuffling people hither and tither prior to the final transfers.

An extract below gives a flavour of those buildings still in use up to the final evacuation stages.

[FROGSMILE]

7 minutes ago, Airshipped said:

I can dig out the list of buildings finally evacuated in December 1922 but it's a tedious chain of correspondence, months of shuffling people hither and tither prior to the final transfers.

An extract below gives a flavour of those buildings still in use up to the final evacuation stages.

Thank you, it will be useful for future researchers to have as many of the basic details as possible easily accessible here.

[doyle3]

On 15/03/2024 at 20:34, Airshipped said:

I can dig out the list of buildings finally evacuated in December 1922 but it's a tedious chain of correspondence, months of shuffling people hither and tither prior to the final transfers.

An extract below gives a flavour of those buildings still in use up to the final evacuation stages.

Very good.

The 17th December 1922 handover of Marlborough Barracks tallies with the departure of no 5 Armoured Car Company from there for Belfast.

I had the Royal Hospital bye laws books taken by General Macready when he departed in December 1922. Now back in Dublin.