An Cosantóir

51 place without incident, subsequent handovers almost led to violence, such as the Limerick hand over, when anti- Treaty Irregular troops and National Army soldiers brokered a deal to split the two city barracks between them. Victoria Barracks was located in the Area of Responsibility of Cork No. 1 Bde, IRA. In order to avoid a clash between National Army Troops and IRA, Gen Richard Mulcahy agreed that the IRA unit under Seán O'Hegarty would take over the barracks from departing British troops. At 1600hrs on 18 May 1922, British Troops formed up on the main square for the last time, as National Army Capt Hugo McNeill was brought in to inspect the barracks by Capt J. G. Magahy of the British Army. As the inspection proceeded, the Union Jack was lowered, and two soldiers began to cut down the flag pole. Captain McNeil protested this but was told that this was customary when evacuating a barracks. Anecdotally, Captain McNeill overheard another British soldier mutter "that flag was flown for many a true soldier, and it is unbecoming for the flagstaff to fly a rebel flag." At 1900hrs the British troops marched out the gates, to the cheers of thousands of Cork citizens, with Capt Magahy handing the keys to Capt McNeill as the last soldier left; 200 Irregular personnel of the No. 1 Cork Bde IRA then marched through the front gate, led by a pipe band, and came to a halt on the main square, where Capt McNeill handed the keys to O'Hegarty. Unfortunately, this new peace did not last due to the onset of the Civil War. When the National Army force that landed at Rochestown approached the City Limits on 10th Aug 1922, anti-Treaty forces burned the barracks to prevent its use by National Army troops. General Michael Collins (after whom the barracks in now named) visited the barracks ahead of his death in an ambush in Béal na Bláth in August 1922. It wasn't until 15th Sep 1922 that National Troops took formal possession of the Barracks, under Captain John Kingston. (Special thanks to CQMS (Retd) Gerry White for his research and writing on this topic.) Old aerial picture of Collins Bks Collins Bks soldiers on the square Inspection of British troops at Victoria (now Collins) Barracks, Picture taken from the Irish Examiner HISTORY OF COLLINS BARRACKS

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