‘Let’s make it happen’

Drive to open military museum at Nenagh's old barracks

Renewed calls have been made to find a way of restoring Nenagh's military barracks and opening a museum at the site.

Members of the Nenagh Barracks Preservation Group delivered a presentation last week, in which they outlined their belief that the Summerhill site and its buildings are not beyond salvation, as evidenced in successful restoration projects taken on elsewhere in the country.

The group was set up by Michael Reynolds, founder of a Facebook page dedicated to Nenagh's military history, which now has over 1,600 followers across the world. Speaking during last week's presentation to Nenagh Municipal District, Mr Reynolds said he has gathered around a thousand signatures on a petition seeking the preservation of the barracks. He feared that “history could be lost” if the site is not preserved, and he called for the establishment of a military museum in the barracks.

Local historian John Flannery recognised Tipperary Co Council's “trepidation” over taking on the barracks. But he and his fellow members of the preservation group believed a way could be found towards securing a site that has been part of the “fabric” of Nenagh for two centuries.

Mr Flannery said the barracks holds “fantastic potential” to become a resource of military tourism, an attraction that would encourage visitors to spend more time in Nenagh, rather than seeing the town as a day-trip.

He traced North Tipperary's rich military history back to the tenth century. The area was home to 17 recipients of the Victoria Cross (including three generations of one family), which Mr Flannery believed was unique in Ireland. Among many other points of note, he mentioned Nenagh's Donohue brothers, recipients of both the Victoria Cross and US Medal of Honor. Descendants of Timothy Donohue's family would be visiting Nenagh from the US next month to trace their ancestors.

“These people's stories deserve to be told - they don't deserve to be forgotten,” Mr Flannery told the meeting. “Where better place to tell it than the military barracks?”

‘INCREDIBLY UNTAPPED RESOURCE’

The presentation also heard from Professor Ivar McGrath, a specialist in military history. He is involved in a project geared towards finding new uses for derelict barracks in Ireland, many of which have been turned into tourism and heritage sites, as the well as the likes of housing complexes, digital hubs and community centres. He appealed to the local authority to “grasp the opportunity to do something really brilliant with this site”.

Archaeologist Damian Shiels spoke of a “gaping hole in north Munster” in terms of the potential for a military museum. A hub for people to explore the history of Nenagh and its wider hinterland is an “incredibly untapped resource,” he opined.

Mr Flannery told those present that the restoration group has been “absolutely inundated” with offers of artefacts and memorabilia to display in a military museum. The site could also be used as a sport museum, a centre for conflict resolution, an education centre, an arts centre, or a meeting place for ex-service personnel, he ventured.

Tipperary Co Council would not have to fund such a project, Mr Flannery added, stating that there are numerous funding streams that could be availed of, such as Urban and Rural Regeneration Development Fund, EU funding and the American Ireland Fund. His group has also received offers from the voluntary sector for labour and heritage works.

The group does, however, rely on the council to secure sponsors for the project. Mr Flannery asked the meeting to look at such successful restoration projects as King House in Co Roscommon and Parke's Castle in Co Leitrim (which was left out of use for 300 years) in considering the case for Nenagh.

“Let's make it happen,” Mr Flannery concluded. “There's no reason why the barracks can't be part of the lifeblood of the Nenagh area again. All that's missing is the belief to do it.”

‘SACRED SITE’

Cllr Michael O'Meara regarded the presentation as one of the most important the council had received in a long time. He agreed with the sentiment and said the priority must be to stabilise the building before any further damage is done.

“I'd describe this as a sacred site,” Cllr O'Meara said of the barracks. “It's important that we approach it in a sympathetic way. The moment is right now to tackle this project.”

He agreed that a rich part of Nenagh history could be lost if the site is not saved. “As a councillor, I don't want to see that happen on my watch,” Cllr O'Meara said.

Cllr Séamie Morris fully supported the military museum proposal. The problem with the barracks site is resolving ownership of its various parts, but it should fall to the Department of Defence to sort this out and pay for a survey of the structure, Cllr Morris said. It angered him to see the condition the site has been left in, and he warned that children could be injured playing in the ruins.

Cllr Ger Darcy agreed that ownership is the biggest obstacle to doing anything with the site. “It's all over the place,” he exclaimed.

For Cllr Joe Hannigan, the cost of doing nothing with the site would outweigh that of making the restoration project happen. “We've got to take the ball on the hop here and run with it,” he told the meeting.

Fianna Fáil councillor John Carroll said he would be making a strong case for the barracks to his party leader and Minister of Defence. “We really have a duty of care,” he agreed. “It's our watch and we shouldn't let it fail.”

Cllr John Rocky McGrath was of a similar view. “We have to start somewhere,” he said.

Cllr Hughie McGrath spoke of how there was previously a reluctance to take on the barracks site for fear that it would become a “poison chalice” that would leave the local authority in debt.

“We're in a different place now,” he said, adding that people have become used to looking at the barracks as it is; they need to look at what has been done elsewhere and imagine what it could become.

'HERE FOR THE LONG GAME'

Cllr O'Meara proposed setting up a subcommittee to get the project going.

District Administrator Rosemary Joyce said there is a “pipeline of funding” for Nenagh under URDF and RRDF projects already applied for. The council would have to ensure delivery of these first.

Ms Joyce welcomed the museum idea but said a feasibility study would have to be undertaken to see if such a proposal would be financially viable, not a drain on already stretched resources. A structural survey would be a necessary starting point, but Ms Joyce warned those present not to underestimate the challenges ahead.

Mr Flannery said the preservation group is conscious of the costs and time involved in such a project, though he welcomed that younger generations are committed to it, as seen in the undertaking by Mr Reynolds.

“We're not looking for an overnight solution,” Mr Flannery said. “We're here for the long game.”