Following the signing of the
Anglo-Irish Treaty in December 1921 the British Army
were preparing to withdraw from Ireland.
In January 1922 President Eamonn
de Valera believed that the Anglo / Irish Treaty would
be rejected by the Irish people, he thought it only a
matter of time before hostilities would resume. He
secretly ordered that the R.I.C. Stations and the
British Army Barracks throughout Ireland should be
penetrated and reconnaissance taken of the defences and
weaknesses of the fortifications therein.
On the 6th January 1922, May
Gibney of Cumann na mBan delivered a dispatch from
Cathal Brugha, the Irish Minister for Defence, to the
Commander of the Carlow Brigade, I.R.A. conveying de
Valera's instructions.
In mid January, Robert Bell,
Auctioneer, Carlow, was engaged by the British War
Office to sell by public auction the contents of Carlow
Military Barracks. A week later, acting on this
information, the Carlow Brigade brought two I.R.A. men
from Athy to carry out Dev's orders.
The two volunteers, unknown to
the auctioneer, duly presented themselves as the
"auctioneer's agents" to the Duty Officer in the Carlow
Barracks, he welcomed them and proceeded to give them a
grand tour of the premises and out-houses. He then gave
them the inventory, reproduced below, compiled by the
British soldiers and invited the two men to carry out an
inspection of the items listed.
For the following few hours the
IRA men strolled contentedly all over the Barracks,
chatting with the soldiers and obtaining whatever
information they could. They shared a drink with the
Duty Officer before they left.
The same day three I.R.A. men
(Foley, Byrne and Delaney) from the Carlow Brigade
travelled to Maryborough Military Barracks and Stores
where they carried out the same mission.
I do not have the auctioneer’s
catalogue for the Carlow auction but I do have
catalogues for the Kilkenny and Maryborough auctions.
If you think the Carlow list is
comprehensive then you should see the Maryborough list
which includes; -- belts, handkerchiefs, neckerchiefs,
socks, shirts, jackets, waistcoats, boots, pillows and
flags! (possibly Flag-stones).
In February 1922 the following
items were offered for sale by public auction in Carlow.
Stock in Carlow Military
Barracks for sale by Public Auction.
The following inventory of the
contents of the Military Barracks, Carlow was compiled
by members of the Irish Republican Army in February
1922.
OUTDOORS: in yard and
sheds. Estimated 6 ton of barbed wire; five ladders,
10ft, 15ft, 25ft, 30ft, 45ft; eight galvanized iron
canisters; piles of straw mattresses; two old spiked
cannon pieces with metal wheels; 34 cannonballs;
quantity of broken and rusted weapons, 5 bayonets, 24
lances, 20 rifles, numerous sword pieces, staffs; 3 cwt.
sack ouncil*; 5 earthenware gallon casks; two horse
carts; large copper vat; a large variety of 58 sweeping
brushes; 25 shovels; 5 picks; barrack brazing; 20
hurricane lamps; 80 barrack lamps; chaff cutting
machine; a dozen vices; 62 platform posts, high, medium
and low; metal piping; large delivery of new covered
timber; larger quantity of corrugated iron 6ft and 10ft;
quantity of expanded metal 8" x 4"; 6 tins of red and
white paint; 3 gallons of varnish; 5 barrows; 8 rolls of
wire netting; 10 x 30 gallon barrels; slabs and
approximately 500 new slates; 3 anvils; 4 sets of drain
brushes; 4 axes; 4 x 30 gallon water tanks with taps;
approximately 400 new bricks; scantlings, all sizes; 5
new stoves; variety of 25 packed crates; barrel of
kerosene; 12 saddles and horse dressings; The coal and
turf shed was emptied and coal buckets removed by people
who reside in the locality.
INDOORS: HALL: Upright
Grand piano by Foster. 2 office desks and 2 castor
chairs with arms; on shelf, account books, quantity of
old maps and folders; 2 jars of ink; box of new pens; I
large locked safe by Saltburn, 1 smaller unlocked safe
by Withers; new pull porter machine; one chest of books;
one military travel desk with handles; one folding
travel officers chair; 3 blackboards with easels; box of
coloured chalk; 40 lockers; 10 Officers chests of
drawers; over 200 chairs; 80 small desks; mixture of
several hundred bed linens and barrack sheets.
MILITARY CANTEEN: Upright
piano by Foster; 1 new pull porter machine; 100 glasses;
300 various forms of delph; box’s of utensils; 150
tables; numerous trestles many sizes; bagatelle; 8 mixed
size drums with drumsticks; 4 saddle drums with leather
straps; dozens of empty glass and earthenware empty
bottles; 4 card tables; 4 Officers tables; brass
weights; 15 ft long mahogany counter top; 4 wash
buckets.
SLEEPING QUARTERS: 10
japanned washstands; 10 marble-top washstands; 50
painted washstands; 19 chests of drawers; 15 reclining
baths; 50 sponge baths; 50 sitz baths; numerous
bedsteads; large quantity of bolsters; 80 wooden bed
screens; 50 clothes-horses; great mixture of several
hundred bed linens and barrack sheets; 120 bedside
wooden desks; large quantity of wooden lockers; 12
crates of reading and account books;
HOSPITAL: 18 hospital
beds, 100 tables, large office table, large 8 sided
table, an enormous lot of provisions, bags of flour,
preserved meat, tinned meat, sack of salt, tins of
biscuits, tea, sugar, dozens of jars and containers of
medical supplies, pills, tonics, rubs, medicines;
medical implements; washing soda, 4 vats of disinfecting
fluid; washing powder, box of soap;tins of bandages,
slings, patches.
KITCHEN: 2 butchers
blocks; 40 cooking implements; large metal cooking
range; 20 scuttles; 8 copper coal buckets; 4 large
enamelled stone sinks; large centre table 12 ft x 5 ft;
weighing scales and 8 weights; Large hand decorated sign
~~ARMY, NAVY AND AIR FORCE MILITARY CANTEEN ~~
The above is a true and
accurate transcript of the original document.
Transcribed by Michael Purcell, January
2010.
Note:
*
ouncil was something like a weighing scales
/ bridge ... there was an "ouncil house" in Hay Market
many years ago , opposite the Town Hall and the weighbridge
master was Mr O'Brien. He operated from there up to
about 1960 . He wore a uniform and a badged cap. He
lived in a flat under the Town Hall . He is in one of my books,
pictured at the rear of the town hall.. the house itself
was demolished in the 1970s... now that would be a
picture worth having ...
Send
pictures to
mjbrennan30@gmail.com
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