Our Shared Built Military Heritage

Before the 1690s, many countries – including Britain and Ireland – did not have permanent or ‘standing’ armies. Instead, troops were mustered as needed and housed in temporary accommodation, such as huts, tents, taverns or private homes. In the early eighteenth century, Ireland witnessed the construction of a network of permanent residential army barracks to house a professional standing army. The Irish model came to set the example for similar networks in Britain and further afield. The remains of over 300 historic army barracks are now scattered across the island. While some are well known and highly valued, others are derelict, neglected or forgotten.

The ‘Our Shared Built Military Heritage: The online mapping, inventorying and recording of the Army Barracks of Ireland, 1690-1921’ project was funded by the North South Research Programme and co-lead by University College Dublin and The Open University. The project team have worked to uncover the story of the historic barracks network in Ireland by identifying all of the permanent barracks that existed in Ireland between 1690 and 1921-2. To help others explore this fascinating aspect of our shared built heritage and culture, an online interactive map of historic barracks is now available at Army Barracks of Ireland.