Research Guide - Irish Military Heritage


Part 3:

i. Using Museums, Heritage Sites - Basic Tips:

ii. Review list of Museums, Heritage Sites, Battlefields & Castles

 

i.Using Museums and Heritage Sites: Basic Tips

The Irish countryside is dotted with sites relevant to military history. Most castles in Ireland were built by the Anglo-Normans with a military purpose in mind and over the centuries many of these buildings faced attacks and sieges from a variety of opponents. From the early 1800s the coastline of Ireland was fortified with numerous Martello Towers , some of which still exist. The British Army occupied barracks in most Irish towns until 1922, many of these too, are still visible if not always in military usage. While all these buildings are of interest in terms of military history, not all are accessible, for a variety of reasons.

Restrictions on access apply to museums, castles and heritage sites. Many sites of historic battles may now be at least partly under private ownership and therefore not be open to the public. Many castles are now ruined and have no facilities for visitors and permission may be needed to visit them. Some military museums have particular security requirements. Many local museums and museums maintained on a voluntary basis are only open part-time and have very limited facilities. Some of the heritage sites and museums listed have placed a great deal of emphasis on military history but others will have comparatively little of military interest in their collections. We have, where possible, attempted to broadly outline what a particular institution holds. It is highly recommended that the opening hours, entrance fees (if any) and rules and regulations for these institutions be ascertained before visiting. It should be noted that many castles have only limited access for the disabled. Where possible we have signalled opening hours and if admission fees are charged but it is always best to make direct contact before you set out. Almost every town in Ireland will also have a memorial to local people’s service in conflict, whether in the First or Second World Wars, the War of Independence or Civil War or other conflicts. These memorials are simply too numerous to list here but they too bear testimony to the impact of war on Irish society and will be of interest to anyone reading this publication.