In January 1922, the British administration began to withdraw from the newly established Irish Free State. The public aspect of this process began with the iconic handover of Dublin Castle and culminated with the more muted handover of Marlborough barracks in December 1922. The initial withdrawals in January were across Leinster and Munster, as shown in the table below.
Barracks evacuated in January 1922
| Date | Barracks | County | Province |
| 25 January 1922 | Clogheen | Tipperary | Munster |
| 25 January 1922 | Mitchelstown | Cork | Munster |
| 27 January 1922 | Bandon | Cork | Munster |
| 30 January 1922 | Cahir | Tipperary | Munster |
| 31 January 1922 | Beggars Bush | Dublin | Leinster |
| 31 January 1922 | Drogheda | Louth | Leinster |
These barracks were often occupied by differing factions of the IRA, which had divided on the question of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed in December 1921. Richard Mulcahy, the new Minister for Defence, decided that local units would occupy barracks in their respective areas. As the majority of the IRA were opposed to the Treaty settlement, this effectively meant that barracks were being occupied, at pace, by anti-Treaty IRA units across the Free State. While the danger of this approach was known, there was little the Provisional Government could do militarily, as the pro-Treaty IRA forces remained disparate and significantly smaller in number. Serious and organised attempts to create solidly pro-Treaty forces were only to occur after the outbreak of the civil war in late June. There was also a series of negotiations within the officer corps of the IRA that attempted to prevent outright conflict. It can be argued that this process ultimately delayed the conflict which could easily have occurred in March during the so-called Limerick crisis.
Although Mulcahy had adopted a policy of local barracks occupations, it was recognised that large towns and cities like Limerick needed to remain under the control of the Provisional Government. The nearest pro-Treaty units to Limerick was the Clare-based First Western Division, under the command of Michael Brennan. Brennan was ordered to occupy the barracks in Limerick City and was sent additional troops from Dublin. This was countered by anti-Treaty IRA forces from the Second Southern Division under the command of Ernie O’Malley. Temporary posts were also occupied across the city. There were numerous accounts of troops on both sides being reluctant to fire on each other. However, O’Malley was clear in his intention to attack all pro-Treaty positions and take control of the city. This would have effectively isolated Brennan’s division from other pro-Treaty units and would have severely impacted on the Provisional Government’s nascent authority. It was also a clear realisation of how fragile and disorganised the pro-Treaty forces were. It would prove to be one of the few times wherein the initiative for a strong attack was proposed and partially implemented by the anti-Treaty forces, which were predominately fighting a defensive campaign during the Irish civil war.
As the anti-Treaty IRA leadership lacked sufficient cohesion and unified purpose, O’Malley’s call for additional aid was not supported and instead a compromise was worked out between senior IRA officers from both factions. Further disputes were also to occur at Templemore, Birr and Renmore barracks over local occupancy.
This is a small example of how the withdrawal from barracks by the British Army had a somewhat outsized impact in the early months of 1922, because the new occupants of these barracks were able to expose the weakness of the new state being established. Despite the Limerick crisis, the British withdrawals continued until December 1922, at which point the only barracks still occupied by British forces were the three Treaty ports of Lough Swilly, Berehaven and Cobh along with those within the new territory of Northern Ireland.
A list of barracks evacuations that occurred throughout 1922 has been compiled by the Military Archives of Ireland and has been generously shared with the OSBMH project by the current director, Commandant Daniel Ayiotis. There were 92 distinct sites listed, primarily barracks but also rifle ranges and critical infrastructure such as the gas works. These have been visualised by county below as a choropleth map.
by Jack Kavanagh
Further Reading
Hopkinson, Michael, Green against green: the Irish civil war (Dublin, 2004). Kinsella, Anthony, ‘Goodbye Dublin: the British military evacuation 1922’ in Dublin Historical Record, vol. 51, no. 1 (Spring, 1998), pp 4-24.
Army Barracks of Ireland 