Eglinton St. Barracks Burned — Also Renmore Barracks and Naval Base

Galway Observer, July 8th, 1922

On Sunday morning last as the citizens of Galway were on their way to Mass they were surprised and alarmed to hear that the Eglinton Street Barracks were ablaze if not burned down, and later on were further astonished to learn that the Renmore Barracks and the Naval Base at the docks were gutted. There were some stores and out buildings left untouched at Renmore, but nothing is left of the barracks in Eglinton St. and the naval base but the bare walls.

The fire at the barracks began about twelve o'clock, and about half a dozen of the men who occupied them were to be seen in the street looking on. The few bystanders soon saw that this was no accidental fire, but premeditated. Women and children were to be seen looting at the early stages of the fire which was then confined to the private residence. The fire had a good hold of this part of the building when the Town Steward came on the scene. He got a short length of hose attached to a hydrant and a man directed a small stream of water on the blaze, but it was quite useless as an extinguisher.

From the residence the flames soon spread to the top story of the barracks and from room to room and window to window. It could then be seen that the top story was supplied with some combustible material that lent a ready aid to the devouring element. While there appeared a raging furnace inside the windows on the top story the burning embers could be heard coming down, crushing into the floors of the second storey, with an odd crash heard on the ground floor, showing that the second floors were giving way very quickly. It was only on the uppermost floor that it appeared the inflammable material was spread, and nothing could be more regular or systematic as the way the flames leapt from one window to the other. There was a fair breeze blowing all the time, but it was so kept within limits that one could imagine the man who directed the firing operations also controlled the seriel elements so that they would burn the barracks and nothing else, and the fire had to stop at the Lica's Tower. Had the wind been blowing across the street it is fearful to contemplate where the fire would stop. There was noting to save Mr. Forde's shop and premises at the corner of Mary Street, nor the house adjoining. The houses adjoining the barracks in Eyre Street would be in a similar jeopardy.

When all the top windows were ablaze and most of the lower ones the burning barracks presented a magnificent spectacle. It was curious how few people were about. At other fires all sorts of people would turn out in large numbers. On this occasion there was no more than a score or so assembled in Mary Street, and about the same number in Eglinton Street, and all men.

Dominick Street police station was spared by the Executive troops who had occupied it because of the fact that it was private property and a fire started there would endanger the entire street and almost certainly result in the burning down of Mrs Caulfield's sweet shop and tobacconist's next down.

Upon evacuation a notice written in ink on cardboard was hung on the door stating that the barracks was evacuated at midnight and left intact lest the lives of non—combatants should be endangered. The notice was signed by Capt. T. Fahy, O.C.