Beggars Bush (Dublin)
Encyclopedia
Beggars Bush is the name of a former barracks on Haddington Road in Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

, as well the surrounding area and a nearby pub.

The barracks dates from 1827 and is bordered to the east by Shelbourne Road, which used to be the western bank of the River Dodder
River Dodder
The River Dodder is one of the three main rivers of the Dublin region in Ireland, the others being the Liffey, of which the Dodder is the largest tributary, and the Tolka.-Course and system:...

.

History

The British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

 used the barracks as a recruit training depot for the garrison in Ireland. The barracks was handed over to Michael Collins
Michael Collins (Irish leader)
Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...

 and the Irish military on 31 January 1922, the first British barracks to be handed to the new Provisional Government. Robert Erskine Childers
Robert Erskine Childers
Robert Erskine Childers DSC , universally known as Erskine Childers, was the author of the influential novel Riddle of the Sands and an Irish nationalist who smuggled guns to Ireland in his sailing yacht Asgard. He was executed by the authorities of the nascent Irish Free State during the Irish...

 was executed in the barracks on 24 November 1922. The army closed the barracks in the 1920s.

The open square just inside the main gate was the infantry parade ground, and was surrounded by the infantry and cavalry (on the left) quarters.

Further in there is the clock tower. At the back on the right there was the barracks chapel (now a museum), next to that was the quartermasters house. Further east the cook house and at the far east end the hospital.

Several organisations are based in the barracks:
  • Labour Relations Commission, Ireland in Tom Johnson House
  • National Print Museum of Ireland
    National Print Museum of Ireland
    The collects, documents, preserves, exhibits, interprets and makes accessible the material evidence of printing craft and fosters associated skills of the craft in Ireland. Opened in 1996, the National Print Museum is a place for printers, historians, students and the general public to see and...

     is based in the former Garrison Chapel
  • Geological Survey of Ireland
    Geological Survey of Ireland
    The Geological Survey of Ireland was founded in 1845. It is part of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. It is based in Beggars Bush Barracks in Dublin. Its multidisciplinary staff work in sections such as Groundwater, Bedrock, Quaternary/Geotechnical, Heritage, Marine...

  • Irish Labour History Society Museum * Archive

Trivia

  • Beggars Bush is mentioned in the song Whiskey on a Sunday
    Whiskey on a Sunday
    Whiskey on a Sunday is a 2006 DVD/album by the Irish-American punk band Flogging Molly. The album features a mix of live and studio recordings and comes with a DVD featuring a documentary of the band...

    , in the versions made popular by performers including The Irish Rovers
    The Irish Rovers
    The Irish Rovers is a Canadian Irish folk group created in 1963 and named after the traditional song "The Irish Rover". The group is best known for their international television series, and renditions of traditional Irish drinking songs, as well as early hits, Shel Silverstein's "The Unicorn",...

     and The Dubliners
    The Dubliners
    The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...

    .

  • Flogging Molly
    Flogging Molly
    Flogging Molly is a seven-piece Irish-descendant band from Los Angeles, California, that is currently signed to their own record label, Borstal Beat Records.-Early years:...

     lead singer and guitarist Dave King grew up in Beggars Bush, and the band recorded a song called "The Ol' Beggars Bush" on their album Swagger.

External links

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