Custume Barracks, Athlone, will be welcoming over 300 new troops after it was announced this week that Columb Barracks in Mullingar and O’Neills Army Barracks in Cavan would be closing.
The decision, made by Minister for Defence, Alan Shatter, will see over 170 troops from Mullingar along with over 130 troops from Cavan being consolidated to the Athlone barracks which already accommodates some 900 troops, including those currently overseas.
Altogether 170 military personnel and 13 civilian employees are attached to the 4th Field Artillery Regiment in Mullingar. The regiment is an element of the Athlone-based 4th Western Brigade and the Department of Defence has said that the move will allow for greater flexibility in the training and deployment of the entire Western Brigade.
There are a total of 136 personnel in the A Company based at O’Neills Army Barracks in Cavan, all of whom will be redeployed to Athlone. A Company is made up of 130 military personnel and six civilian employees and is already an element of the 6th Infantry Battalion based in Athlone.
The Department of Defence has said that no jobs have been lost due to the closure of the two barracks. Personnel from both Mullingar and Cavan will be able to avail of free transport to Athlone for the foreseeable future. The closing date for transferring troops is March 30, 2012.
After weeks of speculation the Government announced on Tuesday, November 15 that it plans to close four barracks across the country including barracks in Clonmel and Castlebar along with Mullingar and Cavan.
The announcement prompted local Junior Minister Willie Penrose to resign the party whip and lose his cabinet seat. The news of the closure of Columb Barracks, Mullingar was broken to family members by Deputy Nicky McFadden on Tuesday.
A meeting has been organised by the Save Columb Barracks committee for this evening [Friday] at 7pm at Davitt and Davitt Insurance in Mullingar to discuss the impending closure.
Committee member Rebecca is the daughter of Noel O’Callaghan, Regimental Sergeant Major in Columb Barracks, who is due back from a tour of duty in the Lebanon next Thursday. Rebecca says the group are disappointed at the manner in which the news of the barracks’ closure was broken to both the soldiers and their families on Tuesday.
“Nicky McFadden rang me when we were standing outside the barracks. The news that the four barracks are to close was a big shock. The soldiers were told at a meeting at 4.30pm, and I had to ring Dad in the Lebanon to tell him,” she says.
“We know the decision won’t be reversed but we want to make some noise and to see if there is anything else we can do for the barracks,” she says.
