Custume Barracks

Custume Barracks
Dún Chostúim
Athlone, Ireland
Soldiers marching across the bridge in Athlone prior to the handover of Custume Barracks
Custume Barracks Location within Ireland
Coordinates	53°25′31″N 7°56′47″W / 53.42514°N 7.94649°WCoordinates: 53°25′31″N 7°56′47″W / 53.42514°N 7.94649°W
Type	Barracks
Site information
Operator	Irish Army
Site history
Built	1691
In use	1691-Present
Garrison information
Garrison	6th Infantry Battalion, Irish Army

Custume Barracks (Irish: Dún Chostúim) is a military installation at Athlone in Ireland.

History

The barracks

The barracks, which are named after Sergeant Custume who defended the bridge from the forces of King William III during the Siege of Athlone, were completed in 1691.^[1] The barracks were taken over by forces of the Irish Free State in 1922 and served as the headquarters of 4th Western Brigade until the brigade was disbanded and is now part of 2 Brigade which is headquartered from Cathal Brugha Barracks in Dublin.^[2] The barracks remains the home of 6th Infantry Battalion as the lead unit, and 2nd Brigade Artillery Regiment and detachments of 2 Engineer Company and the Medical Corps.^[3][4]

Underground nuclear bunker

During the Cold War, there were contingency plans in place that in the event of a nuclear exchange; cabinet ministers, senior civil servants and military advisers would use an underground nuclear bunker at Custume Barracks. The bunker was equipped with a command and control centre with communications equipment – which had a hotline to the British government in Whitehall – a map room pointing out important areas for protection, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom facilities to accommodate up to 100 persons.^[5]

In 1968 a larger nuclear bunker, housing the Integrated National Control Centre (INCC), was planned in Athlone. This would have capacity to accommodate and feed up to 300 people for a month, and allow the Government to continue in the event of a nuclear emergency. The Department of Defence and the Office of Public Works (OPW) drew up secret plans for a larger 20,000 square foot underground bunker to include operations rooms, message centre, broadcasting studio, kitchens, offices, committee rooms, sleeping accommodation and 100,000 gallons of uncontaminated drinking water. The plans for a new bunker never went ahead.^[6]

References

1. "Defence and Security". BEC Publishing. p. 5. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
2. "Ceremonial stand down parade of the 4th WesternBrigade". Retrieved 25 November 2014.
3. "Irish Army - Contact Details - Custume Barracks". Irish Defence Forces. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
4. "Military Ceremony remembers fallen heroes". DublinPeople. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
5. "Waking up to a nuclear nightmare...". Irish Independent. 31 July 2004. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
6. De Breadun, Deaglan (3 January 2003). "Memo reveals plans for nuclear bunker". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 October 2016.