Memories of the military barracks in Castlebar

By Tom Gillespie

IT was nine years ago last Wednesday (March 17) that the military barracks in Castlebar was officially closed, ending a 187-year period of service.

Most locals would be totally unaware that it was known as Mitchell Barracks.

The property, the sale of which is being finalised to Mayo County Council, is still flanked by a girls' school, the Mall, a car park, private housing and a main road.

Mitchell Barracks was built as a direct result of the 1798 Rebellion. The land for the barracks was obtained from Lord Lucan and the official lease is dated 1827.

It was first occupied in 1831. Among the British Army units which served there were the 10th Regiment of Foot, The Connaught Rangers and 17th Lancers of the Battle of Balaclava ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ fame.

In 1922 the barracks was largely destroyed by fire. Blocks E/F and J/K/L were completely destroyed, as was the hospital and most of the stores.

It was taken over by the Free State Army on February 14, 1922. Some of the units to serve there were the 4 Battalion, No. 2 Brigade, Western Command (under Comdt. Sean Haughey, father of Taoiseach Charles J. Haughey, and the second Battalion. It was closed in 1929 but reopened for the Emergency when the 1 Battalion, 6 Cycle Squadron and 11 Cycle Squadron occupied it.

From 1945 until 1959 it was headquarters of the Mayo Area FCA. Since 1959 it had been home to the 18 Infantry Battalion and 5th Motor Squadron and more recently the 51 Reserve Infantry Battalion.

During the period between 1959 and 2012 various blocks have been occupied by civilian organisations - A/B block by Mayo County Council planning offices, vacated in 1991, C/D block by the Department of Lands, vacated in 1976, and G/H block by St. Patrick’s National School when the original school at Chapel Street was destroyed by fire on February 28, 1957.

According to the school’s website, the alarm was raised at around 3 a.m.

The building was destroyed and much to the delight of the pupils classes did not resume until April 3, 1957. There are, however, accounts of some pupils who went back to school the following week in another building up by Pavilion Road.

One of the few surviving items was the school bell. It was slightly damaged and was repaired and used again up until the 1990s.

The exact cause of the fire was never officially known but speculation suggested an electrical fault.

A new building had to be found for the school and on April 3 1957, the school was temporarily transferred to the military barracks, blocks G and H.

In 1959, building commenced on the new school, located overlooking the old school, and it was officially opened on November 9, 1961.

I spent five years in class in the military barracks with Brother Dennis of the De La Salle Order, a native of Hospital in Co. Limerick.

The rooms were cold in the stone building, the only heat being from a turf fire at the top of the class. Those who had turf at home were expected to bring in a few sods every day during the winter months.

When we moved in we were in first class having left Mrs. O’Flaherty’s high infants in the Chapel Street school.

There were two entrances into the barracks - from Barrack Bridge and Rock Square.

The long narrow lane to Rock Square was a dangerous place for the small first class pupils as the older boys would stampede towards the Mall at lunchtime.

To avoid being trampled, the younger pupils were allowed out at 12.55 p.m. and the older boys, known as ‘the bombers’, at 1 p.m.

The large green in the barracks was an ideal playground for the boys and games of Gaelic football were mandatory in the eyes of the brothers.

GAA was supreme, with local tournaments between the Pearses, Mitchels, Davitts and McHales, depending on what part of Castlebar you came from.

I was never much into football, something that has remained with me to this day. However, Brother Dennis felt differently and I was put on one of the school teams as a goalie.

I had no intention of proving myself as a Robert Hennelly so any ball that came towards me ended up in the net. I can still remember diving the opposite way to the approaching ball, towards the bundle of jackets that marked the goal posts.

Needless to say, that was the end of my brief, and very unexciting, footballing career.

When we progressed to St. Gerald’s College many of my class mates and I joined the FCA 5th Motor Squadron and we returned to the barracks where we were drilled by Terry O’Donoghue and others. We marched up and down the square dressed in our uniforms, caps and highly polished black boots.

It was a great training ground for young teenagers and it put some discipline into our lives.

Later again, the dining hall at the military barracks was used as an election count centre for the then West Mayo Constituency.

After joining The Connaught Telegraph I covered several counts there, the most memorable being the election of Enda Kenny in the November 1975 by-election and the general election in 1973 when Mícheál Ó Móráin, the former Fianna Fáil Minister for Lands and Justice, lost his Dáil seat.

Ironically, I covered the official closure of the military barracks, on March 18, 2012 - 51 years after being in a classroom there.