Collins Barracks (Cork)

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This article is about Collins (Victoria) Barracks. For the barracks of the same name in Dublin, see Collins Barracks (Dublin).

Collin's Barracks is a military barracks on the north side of Cork in Ireland.

Originally erected between 1801 and 1806 (by Abraham Hargrave) and named simply The Barracks, the complex commands a prominent position on the hills overlooking the city and the River Lee.

The barracks were extended in 1849 and renamed to Victoria Barracks, to celebrate a visit by Queen Victoria.

Housing British forces in the city for more than one hundred years, the barracks were handed over by the British Government to Commandant Sean Murray of the Army of the Irish Free State in 1922, under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty (which marked the end of the Irish War of Independence). The barracks were quickly renamed for Michael Collins, the first commander-in-chief of the Free State, and a native of Cork.

A garrison for the Southern Command of the Irish Army since then, the complex was visited by US President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

It features the largest military barracks parade square in Europe, and is home to both regular (PDF) and reserve (RDF) units from many corps, including Infantry, Artillery, Engineering and Logistics.

The barracks is subject to an ongoing modernisation programme, which has seen the building of new messing facilities, gymnasium and workshops.