Curragh Camp. Regiments

[Macker_Irl]

Hi

I have just updated The Curragh Cemetery list as transcribed by Mick Dolan. This list will give anybody researching their military roots to Regiments stationed at The Curragh from 1860 to 1922. Again this all this hard work is down to Mick Dolan who took time out to transcribe this information back in 2003.

The web page can be found at http://www.curragh.info/cemetery.htm

If anybody has any more information on The Curragh History, please e-mail me at (*)

Regards

Matt McNamara

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[Mick_Dolan86]

Thank you everyone for all this valuable information. 
In the mid 1800's when a soldier was posted was a spouse able to join him in the local barracks ?
I have a soldier with the 26th reg in the Channel Islands (1851), but the birth certificates for his children  were all provided by the 59th of foot. 2 children born in Ireland  1846,1848 and one in Wales 1851.
Does anyone have any explanation for this ?

In the mid 19th century a small percentage of soldiers were allowed marry and have their wives and children live in barracks. Incredibly they frequently lived in the same rooms as the single soldiers. I have an 1867 report from Clonmel that states that there was no married quarters in the barracks which accomodated 196 men over and above the accomodation space available and there were also 28 women living in the men's rooms. Inevitably there must have been several children living there also. The women also shared the ablutions and toilet facilities with the lads.

Your lad might have transferred from the 59th to the 26th or possibly left the army and re-enlisted.

[elaineinUSA]

Mick_Dolan86,

Thank you for this explanation, It certainly would explain a lot.   What a tough life they led.

[LizzieW]

Both my grandfather and his eldest brother were at Curragh Camp with the 19th Hussars in the early 1900s.  Something odd must have happened around 1906 as my grandfather was discharged as unfit, but getting hold of the Regulations of the time, it seems he was unfit due to being mentally ill and a danger to himself or others.  He was discharged to an asylum, but was only there for 6 weeks  and married a year later.  It has been suggested that he faked his illness.  I was given an Army term for this but can't remember it at the moment.

Lizzie

[elaineinUSA]

Lizzie,

I think it was all a matter of survival.

[Leofric]

  I was given an Army term for this but can't remember it at the moment.

Lizzie

I think it is known as "working your ticket" ! I imagine you'd need some strength of character to pull it off...

[lesleypaters0n]

Thank you everyone for all this valuable information. 
In the mid 1800's when a soldier was posted was a spouse able to join him in the local barracks ?
I have a soldier with the 26th reg in the Channel Islands (1851), but the birth certificates for his children  were all provided by the 59th of foot. 2 children born in Ireland  1846,1848 and one in Wales 1851.
Does anyone have any explanation for this ?

In the mid 19th century a small percentage of soldiers were allowed marry and have their wives and children live in barracks. Incredibly they frequently lived in the same rooms as the single soldiers. I have an 1867 report from Clonmel that states that there was no married quarters in the barracks which accomodated 196 men over and above the accomodation space available and there were also 28 women living in the men's rooms. Inevitably there must have been several children living there also. The women also shared the ablutions and toilet facilities with the lads.

Your lad might have transferred from the 59th to the 26th or possibly left the army and re-enlisted.

Just to restate something I posted earlier - my grandfather was born in 1887 at Naas Military Barracks - I was led to believe this was 'On the Curragh'.  He was one of 6 children born to the Quarter Master Sergeant's wife between 1879 & 1889.  The QMS (Royal Dublin Fusiliers) and his wife were married in India in 1873 although she was from Dublin.

Was the Naas Barracks a different place?  Would they too have lived with the soldiers?

[Mick_Dolan86]

I would say that by about 1880 they'd have had married quarters. A Senior NCO wouldn't have lived in a barrack room anyway. In addition there was a major reform of the army in the 1870s and 1880s. They were called the Cardwell reforms. The report I mentioned earlier was probably part of that process. as far as I know every barracks in Ireland was inspected so a report exists for Naas someplace. The married quarters in Clonmel were built in 1879 for instance (the building still stands and is now local authority apartments). But you would need to talk to a local historian in Naas with an interest in military history who might be able to tell you when the buildings in the barracks were erected. The Army magazine (An Cosantoir) ran a series of articles on military posts back in the 60s. If you wrote to Military Archives, Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin they might be able to send you a photocopy of the article on Naas.

I wouldn't say Naas was on the Curragh though.

[lesleypaters0n]

Thnak you!