An Cosantóir the official magazine of the Irish Defence Forces and Reserve Defence Forces.
Issue link: https://digital.jmpublishing.ie/i/1491910
11 other implements to aid the construction of a narrow tunnel. The tunnel itself was extremely narrow, with just enough space for one person to scrape through. In fact, one member of the escape party was of greater girth than his comrades and was unable to fit through the tunnel and so remained in custody. In 1922, following the War of Independence, the British Army handed over all military installations to the Irish Free State Army, which included Kilworth. Comdt Tom Barry of Glanworth, was tasked with the handover of Kilworth Camp and the range area. On Feb 4th 1922 he marched in at the head of his Battallion as the British marched out. Kieran Jordan notes that 'Ironically the battalion included many former internees who had made their escape from the camp by means of the tunnel only four months earlier.' Following the war of independence and the withdrawal of British Forces, many of the original buildings were looted or destroyed and only a few remnants of the original infrastructure are visible. In 1966 it was renamed Lynch Camp, in honour of the anti-Treaty Chief of Staff Liam Lynch. Lynch's death on 10th April 1923, in combat against National Army troops, effectively ended the Civil War. for troops that were on the move. As the troops moved up the hill, a target would appear from behind a bunker, an early version of modern live fire tactical training. The facilities at Kilworth Camp were improved upon over time by the British, as the requirement to accommodate troops increased. In 1903 the nearby Moore Park estate, the current location for Teagasc, was purchased to cater for a growing demand. In particular, the outbreak of World War One required an increase in capability. Many units deploying for the front lines, spent their final preparatory training in Kilworth. Not all accounts of Kilworth were positive however, as one British soldier notes: 'Rain continually, and sometimes snow and hail, with a wind that would shave the beard off a mouse. I never dreamed that God had made any spot like this.' Towards the end of the British control of Kilworth, the breakout of republican prisoners was a notable event. Many republicans were detained during the War of Independence, and Kilworth was one of those camps selected to detain prisoners. Prisoners were detained in wooden huts surrounded by barbed wire fencing. A tunnel was dug underneath one of the huts towards the open countryside to the west of the camp. This was achieved by the collaboration of local workers who smuggled in tools and HISTORY OF KILWORTH CAMP Fort Kilworth Moore Park Estate 1920 Soldiers in transport heading through Fermoy