Geneva Barracks
Encyclopedia
Geneva Barracks in County Waterford
, Ireland
, was a barracks created in 1783 by converting a settlement which had been created for an 18th century colony (New Geneva) of disaffected citizens of Geneva
. Built near Passage East
, the colony was commissioned by the Irish Parliament and approved by British Royalty. After the Genevans abandoned their plans to settle in Waterford, the colony became a British
military barracks which gained notoriety as a deadly holding centre for rebel prisoners during and after the 1798 rebellion
. Today, the only remains of New Geneva are its ruined walls in a grassy field.
in Ireland achieved a measure of self rule under the English crown by the granting of an Irish Parliament. The subsequent scrapping of the previous trade restrictions imposed by London and which had largely provoked the call for a parliament in Dublin led to a wave of grandiose plans for the economic and cultural development of Ireland. One such plan was for the formation of a colony of artisans and intellectuals to stimulate trade. In 1782, a failed rebellion against the ruling French and Swiss alliance led to a wave of Geneva
n refugees in Europe. As artisans, they were valued for their knowledge and skills and were invited to settle in their thousands in Ireland. A site in county Waterford
was quickly acquired for the anticipated arrivals and named New Geneva, reflecting the origin of the first settlers.
James Gandon the celebrated Architect was commissioned to prepare a plan for the town which would have been almost rectangular in shape with a vast shallow crescent 2,700 ft long overlooking Waterford Estuary. A rectangular site for a church was to be positioned at each end of the crescent which was to be backed by streets and terraces of houses. A central square was to have been overlooked by a central church with an apse and was surrounded by terraces of houses which were said to have been 'under construction'. There were to be two other open squares, one to the south overlooked by the Academy with the Market in the south west corner of the city. Another courtyard to the north was to be overlooked by the Town Hall. A Prison or Hospital was to be located at the north west corner of the city. the city has many similarities with the French city of Richelieu. The Barracks wall which exists today bears little resemblance to this ambitious plan. The original James Gandon drawing of the proposed city still exists.
newly raised following the outbreak of war between revolutionary France and Britain in 1793. The militia's purpose was to complement the regular forces stationed across the estuary in county Wexford
at Duncannon
fort and to protect nearby Passage East
in the event of French invasion. By 1798 the barracks was capable of holding almost 2,000 soldiers.
in May 1798 achieved its greatest success in county Wexford and for a time county Waterford was threatened. However, the rebel defeat
at New Ross
on 5 June prevented the breakout of Wexford rebels and discouraged Waterford rebels from taking to the field. The barracks then became a temporary holding centre for rebels and never held less than 1,000 prisoners by the summer of 1798. The prison at Geneva barracks quickly became notorious for its atrocious conditions and ill treatment of prisoners. P.M. Egan describes Geneva and the story related by Mary Muldoon in his 1895 book "Guide to Waterford":
Most prisoners held who were not sentenced to death and executed were transported to Australia
or pressed
into the Royal Navy
. However, emissaries of the King of Prussia
were first allowed to select the fittest men from among the prisoners to serve in his armed forces in part payment for services rendered by his Hessians in suppressing the rebellion. Thomas Cloney
, one of the rebel leaders at the battles of Three Rocks
, New Ross
and Foulksmills
endured confinement at New Geneva while under sentence of death which was later commuted to exile by Lord Cornwallis. He claimed that the scars of the manacles put on him during his time in New Geneva were visible decades later.
The barracks gradually fell into disuse in the years following the end of the Napoleonic wars
and were finally closed in 1824. Today not one wall of the Genevan buildings remains intact but the low ruins remain overrun with long grass.
County Waterford
*Abbeyside, Affane, Aglish, Annestown, An Rinn, Ardmore*Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Ballyduff Lower, Ballyduff Upper, Ballydurn, Ballygunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon,...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, was a barracks created in 1783 by converting a settlement which had been created for an 18th century colony (New Geneva) of disaffected citizens of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. Built near Passage East
Passage East
Passage East is a fishing village in County Waterford, Ireland, situated on the west bank of Waterford Harbour. It is 12 km from Waterford 10 km from Dunmore East and 21 km from Tramore.-History:...
, the colony was commissioned by the Irish Parliament and approved by British Royalty. After the Genevans abandoned their plans to settle in Waterford, the colony became a British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
military barracks which gained notoriety as a deadly holding centre for rebel prisoners during and after the 1798 rebellion
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
. Today, the only remains of New Geneva are its ruined walls in a grassy field.
Origins
In 1782, the governing Protestant AscendancyProtestant Ascendancy
The Protestant Ascendancy, usually known in Ireland simply as the Ascendancy, is a phrase used when referring to the political, economic, and social domination of Ireland by a minority of great landowners, Protestant clergy, and professionals, all members of the Established Church during the 17th...
in Ireland achieved a measure of self rule under the English crown by the granting of an Irish Parliament. The subsequent scrapping of the previous trade restrictions imposed by London and which had largely provoked the call for a parliament in Dublin led to a wave of grandiose plans for the economic and cultural development of Ireland. One such plan was for the formation of a colony of artisans and intellectuals to stimulate trade. In 1782, a failed rebellion against the ruling French and Swiss alliance led to a wave of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
n refugees in Europe. As artisans, they were valued for their knowledge and skills and were invited to settle in their thousands in Ireland. A site in county Waterford
County Waterford
*Abbeyside, Affane, Aglish, Annestown, An Rinn, Ardmore*Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Ballyduff Lower, Ballyduff Upper, Ballydurn, Ballygunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon,...
was quickly acquired for the anticipated arrivals and named New Geneva, reflecting the origin of the first settlers.
James Gandon the celebrated Architect was commissioned to prepare a plan for the town which would have been almost rectangular in shape with a vast shallow crescent 2,700 ft long overlooking Waterford Estuary. A rectangular site for a church was to be positioned at each end of the crescent which was to be backed by streets and terraces of houses. A central square was to have been overlooked by a central church with an apse and was surrounded by terraces of houses which were said to have been 'under construction'. There were to be two other open squares, one to the south overlooked by the Academy with the Market in the south west corner of the city. Another courtyard to the north was to be overlooked by the Town Hall. A Prison or Hospital was to be located at the north west corner of the city. the city has many similarities with the French city of Richelieu. The Barracks wall which exists today bears little resemblance to this ambitious plan. The original James Gandon drawing of the proposed city still exists.
Military Barracks
However, the colony quickly collapsed. Although a vast sum of money, £50,000, was allocated to the project, the Genevans insisted that they should be represented in the Irish parliament but govern themselves under their own Genevan laws. The project was abandoned when this proposal could not be agreed upon and the site was eventually taken over by the government who began to transform the settlement into a military base. Barracks were built to house companies of militiaMilitia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
newly raised following the outbreak of war between revolutionary France and Britain in 1793. The militia's purpose was to complement the regular forces stationed across the estuary in county Wexford
County Wexford
County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...
at Duncannon
Duncannon
Duncannon is a village in southwest County Wexford, Ireland. Bordered to the west by Waterford harbour and sitting on a rocky promontory jutting into the channel is the strategically prominent Duncannon Fort which dominates the village.Primarily a fishing village, Duncannon also relies heavily on...
fort and to protect nearby Passage East
Passage East
Passage East is a fishing village in County Waterford, Ireland, situated on the west bank of Waterford Harbour. It is 12 km from Waterford 10 km from Dunmore East and 21 km from Tramore.-History:...
in the event of French invasion. By 1798 the barracks was capable of holding almost 2,000 soldiers.
1798 rebellion: prison
The outbreak of the United Irish rebellionIrish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
in May 1798 achieved its greatest success in county Wexford and for a time county Waterford was threatened. However, the rebel defeat
Battle of New Ross (1798)
The Battle of New Ross took place in County Wexford in south-eastern Ireland, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. It was fought between the Irish Republican insurgents called the United Irishmen and British Crown forces composed of regular soldiers, militia and yeomanry...
at New Ross
New Ross
New Ross is a town located in southwest County Wexford, in the southeast of Ireland. In 2006 it had a population of 7,709 people, making it the third largest town in the county after Wexford and Enniscorthy.-History:...
on 5 June prevented the breakout of Wexford rebels and discouraged Waterford rebels from taking to the field. The barracks then became a temporary holding centre for rebels and never held less than 1,000 prisoners by the summer of 1798. The prison at Geneva barracks quickly became notorious for its atrocious conditions and ill treatment of prisoners. P.M. Egan describes Geneva and the story related by Mary Muldoon in his 1895 book "Guide to Waterford":
- Upon closer examination finding, as it is alleged, the remains of the blood of the numerous heads which were stuck on these walls, spoken of as still to be observed, the interest attached to the place becomes rather intense. Going among the peasantry of the neighbourhood, we were not long in having our ears regaled with the almost breathless and weird tale of Mary Muldoon.
- 'Well, 'avourneen, a fine young man who drove into the barracks in '98, and made join the sogers. The poor fellow didn't like the iday of goin' agin his own kith and kin, and maybe some day rise a gun to shoot of 'em. So he asked the officer, was there nothing to keep him but the high wall built all round. The officer, jokin' I suppose, said if he got over that wall he'd give him his liberty. So would that, he made one spring, and up on the wall wud him. Well wasn't that officer a bad fellow, he up wud his gun and shot the poor boy on the wall, and many a day after his poor mother, a widow, came to see where his blood was spilt on the same wall, where it remains to the present day'.
Most prisoners held who were not sentenced to death and executed were transported to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
or pressed
Impressment
Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", was the act of taking men into a navy by force and without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to...
into the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. However, emissaries of the King of Prussia
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
were first allowed to select the fittest men from among the prisoners to serve in his armed forces in part payment for services rendered by his Hessians in suppressing the rebellion. Thomas Cloney
Thomas Cloney
Thomas Cloney was a County Wexford leader in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.He was the only son of Denis Cloney, a prosperous middleman, of Moneyhore, Wexford, and his wife, Mary Kavanagh , a native of Ballybeg, County Carlow, both Roman Catholics...
, one of the rebel leaders at the battles of Three Rocks
Battle of Three Rocks
The Battle of Three Rocks was a United Irish victory during the 1798 rebellion against a British artillery column marching to reinforce Wexford town against anticipated rebel attack.-Background:...
, New Ross
Battle of New Ross (1798)
The Battle of New Ross took place in County Wexford in south-eastern Ireland, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. It was fought between the Irish Republican insurgents called the United Irishmen and British Crown forces composed of regular soldiers, militia and yeomanry...
and Foulksmills
Battle of Foulksmills
The Battle of Foulksmills, known locally as the Battle of Horetown and also known as the Battle of Goff's Bridge, was a battle on 20 June 1798 between advancing British forces seeking to stamp out the rebellion in County Wexford during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and a rebel army assembled to...
endured confinement at New Geneva while under sentence of death which was later commuted to exile by Lord Cornwallis. He claimed that the scars of the manacles put on him during his time in New Geneva were visible decades later.
The barracks gradually fell into disuse in the years following the end of the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and were finally closed in 1824. Today not one wall of the Genevan buildings remains intact but the low ruins remain overrun with long grass.