Sun.ie - HQ WRECK Army’s Curragh Camp becomes eyesore with 43 DERELICT buildings as Brendan Howlin demands urgent Government action - 29 Dec 21



THE HQ of the Irish Defence Forces, the Curragh Camp, has become an eyesore and has 43 DERELICT buildings.

The shock revelation has been made by former Labour leader Brendan Howlin TD and he is demanding urgent Government action to sort it out.

All the Irish military top brass operate from the Curragh but the camp is also the main army training centre for the whole country.

Parts of the facility have fallen into disarray after decades of neglect.

Howlin blasted: “Our Defence Minister previously described the Curragh Camp as the flagship of our military establishment and while many people will agree with him on that, there are issues.

'FLAGSHIP CAMP'

“There are 43 derelict buildings in the Camp and that does not give the impression of a flagship camp. There are still accommodation problems for enlisted personnel.

“The public image when visiting the camp is important and the fact that there are 43 derelict buildings is not acceptable and should be prioritised.

“We need to ensure we provide adequate housing and showering facilities for our enlisted personnel.”

The Defence Minister Simon Coveney admitted that when driving around the camp there is too much dereliction.

He stated: “I have said that to our officials and we need to address it over time.

“Projects like this can not be completed overnight and we need to have a medium term plan for the Curragh Camp which upgrades the facility and rightly gives the impression when driving through that it is effectively the flagship training facility for the Defence Forces.

“That is what we will do over time. Next year we will spend €16.5million and we have spent 17.5 million in recent years.”