Custume Barracks () is a military installation at
Athlone
Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...
in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
History
Barracks
The barracks were built originally as temporary accommodation for cavalry and infantry units in 1691.
The barracks are named after a Sergeant Custume, who defended the bridge from the forces of
King William III
William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Utrec ...
during the 1690
Siege of Athlone
Athlone was besieged twice during the Williamite War in Ireland (1689–91). The town is situated in the centre of Ireland on the River Shannon and commanded the bridge crossing the river into the Jacobite-held province of Connacht. For this ...
.
The barracks were taken over by forces of the
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independ ...
in 1922 and served as the headquarters of 4th Western Brigade until the brigade was disbanded and is now part of 2 Brigade which is headquartered from
Cathal Brugha Barracks
Cathal Brugha Barracks () is an Irish Army barracks in Rathmines, Dublin. A key military base of the Irish Defence Forces, it is the headquarters of 2 Brigade, and houses the Military Archives of the Department of Defence.
History
The barra ...
in Dublin. The barracks remains the home of 6th Infantry Battalion as the lead unit, and 2nd Brigade Artillery Regiment and detachments of 2 Engineer Company and the Medical Corps.
Nuclear bunker
During the
Cold War, there were contingency plans in place that, in the event of a nuclear exchange, cabinet ministers, senior civil servants and military advisers would use an underground nuclear bunker at Custume Barracks. The bunker was equipped with a command and control centre with communications equipment – which had a hotline to the
British government
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
, image = HM Government logo.svg
, image_size = 220px
, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
, image_size2 = 180px
, caption = Royal Arms
, date_est ...
in
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament ...
– a map room pointing out important areas for protection, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom facilities to accommodate up to 100 persons.
In 1968 a larger nuclear bunker, housing the Integrated National Control Centre (INCC), was planned for Athlone. This was planned to have capacity to accommodate and feed up to 300 people for a month, and allow the Government to continue in the event of a nuclear emergency. The
Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philippin ...
and the
Office of Public Works
The Office of Public Works (OPW) ( ga, Oifig na nOibreacha Poiblí) (legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of ow ...
(OPW) drew up secret plans for a larger underground bunker to include operations rooms, message centre, broadcasting studio, kitchens, offices, committee rooms, sleeping accommodation and of uncontaminated drinking water. The plans for this new bunker never went ahead.
See also
*
List of Irish military installations
References
{{Irish Army & Army Reserve
Barracks in the Republic of Ireland
Buildings and structures in Athlone