‘This is about growing, expanding Defence Forces’: €4m boost for Collins Barracks 

FUNDING has been approved for a new €4m accommodation block in Collins Barracks, as part of ongoing investment in Defence infrastructure in Cork and across the country.

Defence Minister Simon Coveney said that Cork plays a “very big part” in the Government’s five-year Defence Forces infrastructure development plan, with the new accommodation block in Collins Barracks the latest in a string of “quite significant” investments in Cork’s naval and army hubs.

“Collins Barracks is one of the biggest facilities in the country,” said Mr Coveney. 

“It’s the largest military square in the country as well, and we will continue to invest beyond this new €4m project in Collins Barracks.”

Budget 2023 saw the highest ever capital investment in the Defence Forces in the history of the State, with an allocation of €1.174bn in funding.

Growth planned for Defence Forces 

Mr Coveney said that the funding has facilitated expansion, growth, and investment, “which means, I hope, more people joining the Defence Forces and more people willing to commit to a career in uniform”.

“I think a lot of people over the last 10 or 15 years have grown used to the Defence Forces effectively being through various different reconfigurations, which has resulted in less barracks around the country, and there has been a reduction in numbers,” said Mr Coveney.

“This reconfiguration is actually about the opposite, it’s about growing and expanding the Defence Forces, it’s about modernising and investing heavily in equipment, and it’s about investing in built infrastructure as well so that we have proper modern training facilities and accommodation.

“We have a lot of challenges in terms of recruitment and retention both in the Naval Service and the Defence Forces. 

"I think this signal of improving the workplace for our Defence Forces… sends a very clear signal as to the priority that Government now attaches to investing in our defence infrastructure.”

Plans 

The new three-storey accommodation block at Collins Barracks will have two wings and provide additional accommodation for around 40 service personnel. It is expected a main contractor for the project will be appointed in the coming weeks, with works to commence on site shortly thereafter and expected to take a year to complete. The project, together with planned refurbishment of Block 1 starting next year, provides for a total investment of over €9m in capital works in the Cork City barracks in the coming months.

Mr Coveney said the announced €4m investment in Collins Barracks, as well as other infrastructure projects in Haulbowline and across the country, “will ensure that there will be sufficient modern accommodation for serving personnel while on duty”.

Haulbowline in Cork Harbour, home to the Irish Naval Service’s headquarters, has also seen the recent completion of a €4.2m accommodation block refurbishment. Seven further projects are in the pipeline for the “significant upgrade” of the Naval base, two of which are set to begin early next year, at a total estimated cost of €76m.

The Department of Defence is seeking to increase permanent Defence Forces numbers by over 3,000 in the next six years, an increase of around 30-40%, according to Mr Coveney.

He said the drive to recruit more Defence personnel and invest in Defence infrastructure is not about war or militarization, but rather “having the capacity to protect [Ireland’s] sovereignty”, as well as contributing to peacekeeping efforts in different parts of the world.