Tánaiste ‘delighted’ to open multimillion euro accommodation block at Collins Barracks

A NEW multimillion-euro accommodation block in Cork’s Collins Barracks is part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to Defence Forces barracks across the country, Tánaiste and Defence Minister Micheál Martin has said.

Mr Martin was speaking to reporters yesterday after he officially opened a new €4.5m accommodation centre at Collins Barracks.

“It reflects ongoing investment in all of our barracks across the country, in all of our accommodation facilities, which is important for new recruits coming in training, but also more generally, just to have a better quality of life all around for members of our Defence Forces,” he said.

“When you put everything together, from the extension of the entitlement to private healthcare, the increased, enhanced allowances, the increased pay for new recruits in particular, and the investment in weaponry and facilities, it’s all pointing in one direction, a consistent, increased level of investment in our Defence Forces, and I welcome that.”

The new self-contained block at Collins Barracks, which has capacity for 41 people, will increase the supply of single living-in (SLI) and troops in training accommodation for enlisted personnel at the site. The Tánaiste said he was delighted to be in Collins Barracks to open the state-of-the-art facility.

“Since becoming Minister for Defence, I have been clear and consistent in my determination to do what is necessary to modernise our Defence Forces; to ensure that this is an institution where every serviceman and woman feels valued, respected and is given the training and equipment they need to do the job their country asks of them,” he said.

“An important part of that is to improve both the quality and quantity of the accommodation provided to our personnel.”

The Cork development is the first of a number of infrastructural projects due to be opened this year across the Defence Forces.

There are currently 10 Defence Forces accommodation projects, with a combined value of almost €50m, under way at different stages across the country, and these projects will provide 565 bed spaces for personnel.

Speaking at the opening, Lieutenant Colonel Peadar Ó Catháin, commanding officer of the 1 Brigade Artillery Regiment, described the new accommodation as “timely”, noting that there are two residential career courses currently underway at Collins Barracks, and a new recruit platoon due later this year.

Lt Col Ó Catháin said the Defence Forces members were “our greatest asset and as such we expect that the availability of modern, comfortable accommodation would be an additional incentive, not only for personnel to remain within the Defence Forces but as an incentive for personnel who seek a career that provides unprecedented opportunities and a life less ordinary”.

The Collins Barracks project consisted of the construction of a three-storey accommodation block, drainage works, mechanical, and electrical services. Its design incorporates a detached accommodation block split into two wings connected by a link section, with accommodation over three floors. Bedrooms in the block are of two types; a four-bed dormitory configuration on the ground and first floors, with a single room accommodation configuration on the second floor.