100th anniversary of handover of army barrack to Irish State

The Irish Defence Forces, Óglaigh na hÉireann will commemorate the centenary of the handover of Finner Camp, in Donegal and Longford Barrack from British to Irish military forces with a series of events.

Events will be held between Finner Camp and the neighbouring town of Bundoran next Monday, February 14.

A special ceremony is being held in the grounds of the former Seán Connolly Barracks Longford on the evening of Thursday, 17 February to mark the centenary of the handover of the barracks to the IRA. The event is being organised by Longford County Library, Heritage and Archive Services as part of the Decade of Centenaries Programme.

At Finner Camp, proceedings will be led by Lt Col Stephen Morgan, the Officer Commanding 28 Infantry Battalion, the Unit of the Irish Army currently based at Finner Camp.
The day’s events will begin with a memorial mass in the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Bundoran at 11am.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the mass, which will also be broadcast via the Magh Ene Parish webcam for those unable to be present.
The address for this live stream is www.magheneparish.ie/livestream
This will be followed by a military parade through Bundoran, commencing at 12.30pm from the roundabout on Church Road, proceeding through Main Street and concluding at Sea Road junction at the East End of the town. This will be followed by an invite only ceremonial event in Finner Camp to mark the transfer of authority to Irish Forces, which will incorporate the raising of the National Flag and the laying of the wreath to commemorate all those from the North West of Ireland who died in military service to the State.

Guests will also invited to experience interactive military history and capability display combining an exhibition of militaria from the Irish revolutionary era alongside a selection of the equipment and capabilities of the contemporary Irish Defence Forces.

In Longford, the ceremony which takes place at 5pm on February 17, will begin with an ecumenical prayer service in memory of all who served in the barracks. It will also include a brief talk with local historian Hugh Farrell on the handover. Members of the Peter Keenan Branch of the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel will participate and Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Mullins, from the Transport School in The Curragh, will represent the Defence Forces. Finally, a plaque will be unveiled at the entrance of the barracks to mark the occasion.

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