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Coordinates: 51°47′25″N 8°16′59″W / 51.79036°N 8.28306°W / 51.79036; -8.28306
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{{short description|Defensive fort for Cork Harbour, Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Use Irish English|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox military structure
{{Infobox military structure
|name = Fort Templebreedy
|name = Fort Templebreedy
|native_name = Dún Theampall Bríde
|native_name = Dún Theampall Bríde
|nearest_town = [[Crosshaven]] in [[County Cork]]
|nearest_town = [[Crosshaven]] in [[County Cork]]
|country = [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
|country = Ireland
|image = [[File:Fort Templebreedy Battery 9.2 inch Irish Coastal Defence Artillery Exercise 1940s.jpg|260px]]
|image = Fort Templebreedy Battery 9.2 inch Irish Coastal Defence Artillery Exercise 1940s.jpg
|image_size = 260px
|alt = Irish Coastal Defence Artillery exercise at Fort Templebreedy in the 1940s
|alt = Irish Coastal Defence Artillery exercise at Fort Templebreedy in the 1940s
|caption = Irish Coastal Defence Artillery exercise at Fort Templebreedy in the 1940s
|caption = Irish Coastal Defence Artillery exercise at Fort Templebreedy in the 1940s
|type = [[Coastal defence and fortification|Coastal defence battery]]
|type = [[Coastal defence and fortification|Coastal defence battery]]
|coordinates = {{Coord|51.79036|N|8.28306|W|type:landmark_region:IE|display=inline;title}}
|coordinates = {{Coord|51.79036|N|8.28306|W|type:landmark_region:IE|display=inline,title}}
|latitude=51.79036
|longitude=-8.28306
|coordinates_type = landmark
|coordinates_region = EU
|map_type=Ireland
|map_type=Ireland
|map_alt=Location in Ireland
|map_alt=Location in Ireland
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|open_to_public =
|open_to_public =
|site_other_label = Emplacements
|site_other_label = Emplacements
|site_other = Two [[BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX–X|BL 9.2 inch Mark X guns]]<br>(Other [[List_of_British_ordnance_terms#QF|Quick-firing]] practice guns)
|site_other = Two [[BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX–X|BL 9.2 inch Mark X guns]]<br>(Other [[List of British ordnance terms#QF|Quick-firing]] practice guns)
|site_area = {{convert|37|acre}}<ref>{{cite report |url= http://www.audgen.gov.ie/documents/annualreports/2015/appacc/en/vote%2036.pdf | publisher= Comptroller and Auditor General | title= Appropriation Account 2015 - Vote 36 - Defence | date= 2015 | section= Schedule of Land and Buildings | page =24 |accessdate= 13 November 2016 }}</ref><ref name="dailMar2020">{{cite web|url = https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2020-03-05/1/#pq_1 | publisher = Houses of the Oireachtas | website = oireachtas.ie | title = Defence Forces Properties - Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 March 2020 - Written Answers (Question to Defence) | date = 5 March 2020 | accessdate = 21 March 2020 | quote = Fort Templebreedy, which comprises c.37 acres, remains an operational facility and continues to be used by the Defence Forces. There are no plans under consideration to dispose of the site at this time }}</ref>
|site_area = {{convert|37|acre}}
|built = {{Start date|1904}}-{{Start date|1909}}
|built = {{Start date|1904}}-{{Start date|1909}}
|used = Until ~1940s (as [[land battery]])<br>Until ~1980s (as [[training camp]])
|used = Until ~1940s (as [[coastal defence and fortification|coast defence]])<br>Until ~1980s (as [[training camp]])
|builder =
|builder =
|materials =
|materials =
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|footnotes =
|footnotes =
}}
}}
'''Fort Templebreedy''' ([[Irish language|Irish]]: ''Dún Theampall Bríde''),<ref name="ga">{{cite web|url=http://www.militaryarchives.ie/ie/bailiuchain/bailiuchain-neamhidirlin/bailiuchan-airtleire-cosanta-an-chosta|language=Irish |title= Coastal Defence Artillery Collection |publisher=Irish Defence Forces- Military Archives |accessdate=18 April 2015}}</ref> also known as '''Templebreedy Battery''', was a [[Coastal defence and fortification|coastal defence fortification]] close to [[Crosshaven]], in [[County Cork]], Ireland. Supplementing a number of earlier structures at [[Camden Fort Meagher|Fort Camden]] and [[Fort Davis, County Cork|Fort Davis]], the site was developed between 1904 and 1909 to defend the mouth of [[Cork Harbour]].<ref name="dates">{{cite web|url= http://www.victorianforts.co.uk/art/Ireland.htm | publisher=Victorian Forts and Artillery |title=Coast Artillery Gallery: Ireland |accessdate= 18 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="dia">{{cite web|url= http://www.dia.ie/works/view/54739/CO.+CORK%2C+TEMPLEBRADY+%28CROSSHAVEN%29%2C+FORT |publisher= Dictionary of Irish Architects |title= Co Cork, Templebrady (Crosshaven), Fort |accessdate= 18 April 2015}}</ref> Used as [[land battery]] until the 1940s,<ref name="dates"/> and as a military training camp until the late 20th century, many of the structures of the 37 acre site were dismantled over time, and part of the complex used as a [[pitch and putt]] course.<ref name="DevPlan">{{cite web|url= http://www.corkharbour.ie/pages/newsDisplay.php?id=77 |title=Templebreedy Fort Could Become a National Monument |publisher=CorkHarbour.ie |date= September 2008}}</ref> In 2009, [[Cork County Council]] added the site to a proposed list of [[List_of_heritage_registers#Ireland|protected structures]]<ref name="Answers">{{cite web|url= http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/2009/02/24/00218.asp |publisher= Oireachtas Hansard |title= Written Answers - Departmental Properties |date= 24 February 2009}}</ref> - though as of 2013 it remains in the ownership of the [[Department of Defence (Ireland)|Department of Defence]].<ref name="audgen">{{cite report|url= http://www.audgen.gov.ie/documents/annualreports/2013/appacc/en/Vote36.pdf |publisher= Auditor General |work= Government Appropriation Account 2013 |title=Schedule of Land and Buildings
'''Fort Templebreedy''' ([[Irish language|Irish]]: ''Dún Theampall Bríde''),<ref name="ga">{{cite web|url=http://www.militaryarchives.ie/ie/bailiuchain/bailiuchain-neamhidirlin/bailiuchan-airtleire-cosanta-an-chosta|language=Irish |title= Coastal Defence Artillery Collection |publisher=Irish Defence Forces- Military Archives |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150405111421/http://www.militaryarchives.ie/ie/bailiuchain/bailiuchain-neamhidirlin/bailiuchan-airtleire-cosanta-an-chosta |archivedate=5 April 2015 }}</ref> also known as '''Templebreedy Battery''', was a [[Coastal defence and fortification|coastal defence fortification]] close to [[Crosshaven]], in [[County Cork]], Ireland. Supplementing a number of earlier structures at [[Camden Fort Meagher|Fort Camden]] and [[Fort Davis, County Cork|Fort Davis]], the site was developed between 1904 and 1909 to defend the mouth of [[Cork Harbour]].<ref name="dates">{{cite web|url= http://www.victorianforts.co.uk/art/Ireland.htm | publisher=Victorian Forts and Artillery |title=Coast Artillery Gallery: Ireland |accessdate= 18 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="dia">{{cite web|url= http://www.dia.ie/works/view/54739/CO.+CORK%2C+TEMPLEBRADY+%28CROSSHAVEN%29%2C+FORT |publisher= Dictionary of Irish Architects |title= Co Cork, Templebrady (Crosshaven), Fort |accessdate= 18 April 2015}}</ref> Used as a [[coastal artillery]] position until the 1940s,<ref name="dates"/> and as a military training camp until the late 20th century, many of the structures of the 37-acre site were dismantled over time, and part of the complex used as a [[pitch and putt]] course.<ref name="DevPlan">{{cite web|url=http://www.corkharbour.ie/pages/newsDisplay.php?id=77 |title=Templebreedy Fort Could Become a National Monument |publisher=CorkHarbour.ie |date=September 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042430/http://www.corkharbour.ie/pages/newsDisplay.php?id=77 |archivedate=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2009, [[Cork County Council]] added the site to a proposed list of [[List of heritage registers#Ireland|protected structures]]<ref name="Answers">{{cite web|url= https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2009-02-24/38/#s228 |publisher= Oireachtas Hansard |title= Written Answers &ndash; Departmental Properties |date= 24 February 2009}}</ref> &ndash; though as of 2022 it remained in the ownership of the [[Department of Defence (Ireland)|Department of Defence]].<ref name="dailMar2020"/><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2022-11-08a.1355 | via = kildarestreet.com | title = Dáil record - Written answers - Tuesday, 8 November 2022 - Department of Defence - Defence Forces | date = 8 November 2022 | accessdate = 17 August 2024 }}</ref>
Vested in the Minister for Finance |page=26 |date=2013}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
<!--{{Details3|[[List of coastal fortifications in County Cork|Coastal fortifications of Cork]]}}-->
<!--{{Details3|[[List of coastal fortifications in County Cork|Coastal fortifications of Cork]]}}-->
As with other earlier coastal defence fortifications at Fort Camden ([[Crosshaven]]) and Fort Carlisle ([[Whitegate, County Cork|Whitegate]]), the batteries at Templebreedy were designed to defend the strategically important entrance to [[Cork Harbour]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Ireland Green Guide Michelin 2012&ndash;2013| publisher=Michelin Green Guides |isbn=9782067182172 |date=2011}}</ref> By the early 20th century, a number of improvements were proposed to the harbour defences - including the installation of newer [[breech-loading weapon|Breech-loading]] [[BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX–X|9.2 Inch guns]].<ref name="vict">{{cite web|url=http://www.victorianforts.co.uk/pdf/datasheets/templebreedy.pdf |title=Victorian Forts and Artillery &ndash; Templebreedy PDF Datasheet |publisher=Victorian Forts and Artillery |accessdate=18 April 2015}}</ref> Rather than installing these guns at Fort Camden, it was decided to build separate batteries slightly south of the existing fort, at Templebreedy,<ref name="kerrigan">{{cite book|title=Castles and fortifications in Ireland, 1485&ndash;1945 | isbn=1898256128 |page=16 |author=Paul M. Kerrigan |date=1995 |publisher=Collins Press}}</ref> to cover threats outside the harbour approaches in the [[Celtic Sea]].<ref name="McIvor">{{cite book|title=A History of the Irish Naval Service | isbn=9780716525233 |author=Aidan McIvor |date=1994 |page=65 |publisher=Irish Academic Press}}</ref>
As with other earlier coastal defence fortifications at Fort Camden ([[Crosshaven]]) and Fort Carlisle ([[Whitegate, County Cork|Whitegate]]), the batteries at Templebreedy were designed to defend the strategically important entrance to [[Cork Harbour]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Ireland Green Guide Michelin 2012&ndash;2013| publisher=Michelin Green Guides |isbn=9782067182172 |date=2011}}</ref> By the early 20th century, a number of improvements were proposed to the harbour defences including the installation of newer [[breech-loading weapon|Breech-loading]] [[BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX–X|9.2 Inch guns]].<ref name="vict">{{cite web|url=http://www.victorianforts.co.uk/pdf/datasheets/templebreedy.pdf |title=Victorian Forts and Artillery &ndash; Templebreedy PDF Datasheet |publisher=Victorian Forts and Artillery |accessdate=18 April 2015}}</ref> Rather than installing these guns at Fort Camden, it was decided to build separate batteries slightly south of the existing fort, at Templebreedy,<ref name="kerrigan">{{cite book|title=Castles and fortifications in Ireland, 1485&ndash;1945 | isbn=1898256128 |page=16 |author=Paul M. Kerrigan |date=1995 |publisher=Collins Press}}</ref> to cover threats outside the harbour approaches in the [[Celtic Sea]].<ref name="McIvor">{{cite book|title=A History of the Irish Naval Service | isbn=9780716525233 |first=Aidan|last=McIvor |date=1994 |page=65 |publisher=Irish Academic Press}}</ref>


Built between 1904 and 1909, the fortification included concrete gun emplacements for two [[BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX–X|BL 9.2 inch Mark X guns]],<ref name="treaty">{{cite web|url= http://www.difp.ie/docs/1938/Transfer-of-Treaty-ports/2338.htm |date=1 June 1938 | title= Letter from John W. Dulanty to Joseph P. Walshe (Dublin) with copies of the minutes of the British-Irish meetings regarding the transfer of Treaty Ports |author= Department of Foreign Affairs |publisher= Documents on Irish Foreign Policy}}</ref> underground magazines, [[searchlight]]s, and a number of machine-gun positions.<ref name="vict"/><ref name="redan">{{cite journal| publisher= Palmerston Forts Society | work= The Redan |issue= 42 |date= February 1998 |title= The Cork Harbour Defences |author=Ian Stevenson}}</ref> A practice range was added later for smaller [[QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun|QF 12-pounder guns]].<ref name="guns">{{cite book|url= https://books.google.ie/books?id=7yVsz0GYWSEC&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39&dq=%22fort+templebreedy%22&source=bl&ots=puwjHDMEiE&sig=06THy0dTyOupFvbYnC4UA7Khy7E&hl=en&sa=X&ei=W5cxVfGCLcrOaJuMgKAN&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=%22fort%20templebreedy%22&f=false |title= Irish Army Orders of Battle 1923-2004
Built between 1904 and 1909, the fortification included concrete gun emplacements for two [[BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX–X|BL 9.2 inch Mark X guns]],<ref name="treaty">{{cite web|url= http://www.difp.ie/docs/1938/Transfer-of-Treaty-ports/2338.htm |date=1 June 1938 | title= Letter from John W. Dulanty to Joseph P. Walshe (Dublin) with copies of the minutes of the British-Irish meetings regarding the transfer of Treaty Ports |author= Department of Foreign Affairs |publisher= Documents on Irish Foreign Policy}}</ref> underground magazines, [[searchlight]]s, and a number of machine-gun positions.<ref name="vict"/><ref name="redan">{{cite journal| publisher= Palmerston Forts Society | journal= The Redan |issue= 42 |date= February 1998 |title= The Cork Harbour Defences |author=Ian Stevenson}}</ref> A practice range was added later for smaller [[QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun|QF 12-pounder guns]].<ref name="guns">{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=7yVsz0GYWSEC&pg=PA39 |title= Irish Army Orders of Battle 1923&ndash;2004
|author = Adrian J. English |isbn= 9780972029674 |date=2005 |page=39}}</ref> A further battery was constructed for [[BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun|BL 6-inch Mark VII guns]] - however these were never installed.<ref name="vict"/> By the end of construction in 1909, there was accommodation in place for four officers and 81 non-commissioned officers and men.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1909/oct/19/templebreedy-fort-crosshaven-county-cork |work=Hansard (Commons) - Written Answers |title= Templebreedy Fort, Crosshaven, County Cork |date=19 October 1909 |author = Richard Haldane (Secretary of State for War) }}</ref>
|author = Adrian J. English |isbn= 9780972029674 |date=2005 |page=39}}</ref> A further battery was constructed for [[BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun|BL 6-inch Mark VII guns]]; however, these were never installed.<ref name="vict"/> By the end of construction in 1909, there was accommodation in place for four officers and 81 non-commissioned officers and men.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1909/oct/19/templebreedy-fort-crosshaven-county-cork |work=Hansard (Commons) - Written Answers |title= Templebreedy Fort, Crosshaven, County Cork |date=19 October 1909 |author = Richard Haldane (Secretary of State for War) }}</ref>


Throughout the [[First World War]] (1914&ndash;1918), the harbour was used as a naval base to cover the "[[Western Approaches]]", and the battery complemented the defences of Fort Camden and Fort Carlisle. During the [[Irish War of Independence]] (1919&ndash;1921), Templebreedy was somewhat isolated, and ambushes by [[Irish Republican Army|IRA Brigades]] were not uncommon on supplies to the fort.<ref name="witness>{{cite report|url= http://www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/reels/bmh/BMH.WS1505.pdf |title= Bureau of Military History, 1913-21, Statement by Witness |publisher= Bureau of Military History |date= 1956}}</ref> Following the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]] the harbour defences remained in the control of [[British Armed Forces]], until July 1938 when the [[Treaty Ports (Ireland)|Treaty Port installations]], including Templebreedy, were relinquished to Irish authorities.<ref name="treaty"/>
Throughout the [[First World War]] (1914&ndash;1918), the harbour was used as a naval base to cover the "[[Western Approaches]]", and the battery complemented the defences of Fort Camden and Fort Carlisle. During the [[Irish War of Independence]] (1919&ndash;1921), Templebreedy was somewhat isolated, and ambushes by [[Irish Republican Army|IRA Brigades]] were not uncommon on supplies to the fort.<ref name="witness">{{cite report|url= http://www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/reels/bmh/BMH.WS1505.pdf |title= Bureau of Military History, 1913-21, Statement by Witness |publisher= Bureau of Military History |date= 1956}}</ref> Following the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]] the harbour defences remained in the control of [[British Armed Forces]], until July 1938 when the [[Treaty Ports (Ireland)|Treaty Port installations]], including Templebreedy, were relinquished to Irish authorities.<ref name="treaty"/>


The [[Irish Defence Forces]] continued to maintain and operate the batteries throughout [[The Emergency (Ireland)|the Emergency (WWII)]], until the defences were largely decommissioned in 1946.<ref name="vict"/> Though the large 9.2 inch guns remained in place until the 1960s,<ref name="redan"/><ref name="cosantoir">{{cite journal |title=23rd Infantry Batallion (History and notes) |url=http://www.dfmagazine.ie/site-assets/uploads/Vol._36_No._6_Jun_1976-low.pdf |journal=An Cosantóir (Journal of the Defence Forces) |publisher=Irish Defence Forces |volume=36 |issue=6 |pages=158 |date= June 1976 |access-date=April 19, 2015}}</ref> the buildings and grounds continued to be used into the 1970s and later (including for training camps by [[Army Reserve (Ireland)|Army Reserve (FCÁ)]] and [[Naval Service Reserve|Naval Reserve (Slua Muirí)]]).<ref name="cosantoir"/>
The [[Irish Defence Forces]] continued to maintain and operate the batteries throughout [[The Emergency (Ireland)|the Emergency (WWII)]], until the defences were largely decommissioned in 1946.<ref name="vict"/> Though the large 9.2 inch guns remained in place until the 1960s,<ref name="redan"/><ref name="cosantoir">{{cite journal |title=23rd Infantry Battalion (History and notes) |url=http://www.dfmagazine.ie/site-assets/uploads/Vol._36_No._6_Jun_1976-low.pdf |journal=[[An Cosantóir]] |publisher=Irish Defence Forces |volume=36 |issue=6 |page=158 |date= June 1976 |access-date=19 April 2015}}</ref> the buildings and grounds continued to be used into the 1970s and later (including for training camps by [[Army Reserve (Ireland)|Army Reserve (FCÁ)]] and [[Naval Service Reserve|Naval Reserve (Slua Muirí)]]).<ref name="cosantoir"/>


As of the early 21st century, though a number of buildings, concrete emplacements, underground magazine stores and other structures still stand, no guns or defensive elements remain, and the site is no longer used for military purposes.<ref name="Answers"/>
As of the early 21st century, though a number of buildings, concrete emplacements, underground magazine stores and other structures still stand, no guns or defensive elements remain, and the site is no longer used for military purposes.<ref name="Answers"/>


==Today==
==Today==
[[File:LowerCorkHarbourBasicMap.png|thumb|Plan of lower harbour showing location relative to other installations: (A) [[Haulbowline|Haulbowline Naval Base]], (B) [[Spike Island, County Cork|Fort Mitchel/Westmoreland]], (C) [[Camden Fort Meagher|Fort Meagher/Camden]], (D) [[Fort Davis, County Cork|Fort Davis/Carlisle]], (E) Fort Templebreedy]]
[[File:LowerCorkHarbourBasicMap.svg|thumb|Plan of lower harbour showing location relative to other installations: (A) [[Haulbowline|Haulbowline Naval Base]], (B) [[Spike Island, County Cork|Fort Mitchel/Westmoreland]], (C) [[Camden Fort Meagher|Fort Meagher/Camden]], (D) [[Fort Davis, County Cork|Fort Davis/Carlisle]], (E) Fort Templebreedy]]
From the original construction of the fortifications at Templebreedy, there was some contention about access rights. This manifest in political debates about [[Right of way|rights of way]] (as early as 1909),<ref>{{cite web|url= http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1909/sep/16/templebreedy-fort-cork |work=Hansard (Commons) - Oral Answers |title= Templebreedy Fort, Cork |date=16 September 1909 |author = Richard Haldane (Secretary of State for War) }}</ref> suspected unauthorised access resulting in accidental shooting (in 1940),<ref>A Defence Forces sentry, who asserted that three figures were approaching the fort, fired a shot, and was himself injured. A Garda report suggested that the sentry had in fact fired towards three pillars, and was injured by a ricochet from his own weapon</ref><ref name="ricochet">{{cite report|publisher=National Archives of Ireland |url= http://www.nationalarchives.ie/digital-resources/documents-of-the-month/2009-2/february-2009/ |accessdate= 18 April 2015 |title=Shooting incident in Fort Templebreedy, county Cork |author=An Garda Síochána |date=20 February 1940}}</ref> building of houses off Defence Forces' access roads (1949),<ref name="debates">{{cite web|url= http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/dail1949121400037?opendocument |publisher= Oireachtas Hansard |title= Oral Answers - Department of Defence Rent Demands |date= 14 December 1949}}</ref> and "overholding" of assigned quarters by Defence Forces' personnel (as late as 2012).<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.thejournal.ie/defence-forces-to-move-on-overholders-in-irish-barracks-355611-Feb2012/ |title= Dept of Defence to move on "overholders" in Irish barracks |date=14 February 2012 |publisher=TheJournal}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/2012/01/19/00184.asp#N3 |publisher= Oireachtas Hansard |title= Defence Forces Property |date= 19 January 2012}}</ref>
From the original construction of the fortifications at Templebreedy, there was some contention about access rights. This manifest in political debates about [[Right of way (public throughway)|rights of way]] (as early as 1909),<ref>{{cite web|url= https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1909/sep/16/templebreedy-fort-cork |work=Hansard (Commons) &ndash; Oral Answers |title= Templebreedy Fort, Cork |date=16 September 1909 |author = Richard Haldane (Secretary of State for War) }}</ref> suspected unauthorised access resulting in accidental shooting (in 1940),<ref>A Defence Forces sentry, who asserted that three figures were approaching the fort, fired a shot, and was himself injured. A Garda report suggested that the sentry had in fact fired towards three pillars, and was injured by a ricochet from his own weapon</ref><ref name="ricochet">{{cite report|publisher=National Archives of Ireland |url= http://www.nationalarchives.ie/digital-resources/documents-of-the-month/2009-2/february-2009/ |accessdate= 18 April 2015 |title=Shooting incident in Fort Templebreedy, county Cork |author=An Garda Síochána |date=20 February 1940}}</ref> building of houses off Defence Forces' access roads (1949),<ref name="debates">{{cite web|url= https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1949-12-14/36/ |publisher= Oireachtas Hansard |title= Oral Answers &ndash; Department of Defence Rent Demands |date= 14 December 1949}}</ref> and "overholding" of assigned quarters by Defence Forces' personnel (as late as 2012).<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.thejournal.ie/defence-forces-to-move-on-overholders-in-irish-barracks-355611-Feb2012/ |title= Dept of Defence to move on "overholders" in Irish barracks |date=14 February 2012 |work=TheJournal}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2012-01-19/27/#s186 |publisher= Oireachtas Hansard |title= Defence Forces Property |date= 19 January 2012}}</ref>


Some years after the complex ceased to be used for active defence purposes, some of the site was laid-out as a [[pitch and putt]] course. However this was closed - amid some controversy - in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/dangerous-pitchandputt-course-closed-25989608.html |publisher= Irish Independent |title= Dangerous pitch-and-putt course closed |date= 12 April 2005}}</ref> Though [[Cork County Council]] added Fort Templebreedy to a list of protected structures in 2009,<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/pdf/901892758.pdf |publisher= Cork County Council | page= 68 |title=Record of Protected Structures |date=2009 }}</ref><ref name="Answers"/> ostensibly to protect the site and potentially prepare it for development as a heritage and recreation site, as of 2013 it remained in the ownership of the [[Department of Defence (Ireland)|Department of Defence]].<ref name="audgen"/> Public access to the site therefore remains limited.
Some years after the complex ceased to be used for active defence purposes, some of the site was laid-out as a [[pitch and putt]] course. However this was closed amid some controversy in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/dangerous-pitchandputt-course-closed-25989608.html |publisher= Irish Independent |title= Dangerous pitch-and-putt course closed |date= 12 April 2005}}</ref> Though [[Cork County Council]] added Fort Templebreedy to a list of protected structures in 2009,<ref name="Answers"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/pdf/901892758.pdf |publisher=Cork County Council |page=68 |title=Record of Protected Structures |date=2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055107/http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/pdf/901892758.pdf |archivedate=2016-03-04 }}</ref> ostensibly to protect the site and potentially prepare it for development as a heritage and recreation site, as of 2020 it remained in the ownership of the [[Department of Defence (Ireland)|Department of Defence]].<ref name="dailMar2020"/> Public access to the site therefore remains limited.

==See also==
* [[List of Irish military installations]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist}}


{{Cork Harbour |state=collapsed}}
{{Cork Harbour |state=collapsed}}


[[Category:Forts in Ireland|Templebreedy]]
[[Category:Forts in the Republic of Ireland|Templebreedy]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in County Cork|Templebreedy]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in County Cork|Templebreedy]]
[[Category:Military installations established in the 1900s]]
[[Category:Military installations established in 1904]]
[[Category:Military installations of Ireland|Templebreedy]]

Latest revision as of 20:50, 17 August 2024

Fort Templebreedy
Dún Theampall Bríde
Near Crosshaven in County Cork in Ireland
Irish Coastal Defence Artillery exercise at Fort Templebreedy in the 1940s
Irish Coastal Defence Artillery exercise at Fort Templebreedy in the 1940s
Fort Templebreedy is located in Ireland
Fort Templebreedy
Fort Templebreedy
Coordinates51°47′25″N 8°16′59″W / 51.79036°N 8.28306°W / 51.79036; -8.28306
TypeCoastal defence battery
Area37 acres (15 ha)[1][2]
Site information
OwnerDepartment of Defence
ConditionLargely deconstructed
EmplacementsTwo BL 9.2 inch Mark X guns
(Other Quick-firing practice guns)
Site history
Built1904 (1904)-1909 (1909)
In useUntil ~1940s (as coast defence)
Until ~1980s (as training camp)
Garrison information
OccupantsBritish Armed Forces, Irish Defence Forces

Fort Templebreedy (Irish: Dún Theampall Bríde),[3] also known as Templebreedy Battery, was a coastal defence fortification close to Crosshaven, in County Cork, Ireland. Supplementing a number of earlier structures at Fort Camden and Fort Davis, the site was developed between 1904 and 1909 to defend the mouth of Cork Harbour.[4][5] Used as a coastal artillery position until the 1940s,[4] and as a military training camp until the late 20th century, many of the structures of the 37-acre site were dismantled over time, and part of the complex used as a pitch and putt course.[6] In 2009, Cork County Council added the site to a proposed list of protected structures[7] – though as of 2022 it remained in the ownership of the Department of Defence.[2][8]

History

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As with other earlier coastal defence fortifications at Fort Camden (Crosshaven) and Fort Carlisle (Whitegate), the batteries at Templebreedy were designed to defend the strategically important entrance to Cork Harbour.[9] By the early 20th century, a number of improvements were proposed to the harbour defences – including the installation of newer Breech-loading 9.2 Inch guns.[10] Rather than installing these guns at Fort Camden, it was decided to build separate batteries slightly south of the existing fort, at Templebreedy,[11] to cover threats outside the harbour approaches in the Celtic Sea.[12]

Built between 1904 and 1909, the fortification included concrete gun emplacements for two BL 9.2 inch Mark X guns,[13] underground magazines, searchlights, and a number of machine-gun positions.[10][14] A practice range was added later for smaller QF 12-pounder guns.[15] A further battery was constructed for BL 6-inch Mark VII guns; however, these were never installed.[10] By the end of construction in 1909, there was accommodation in place for four officers and 81 non-commissioned officers and men.[16]

Throughout the First World War (1914–1918), the harbour was used as a naval base to cover the "Western Approaches", and the battery complemented the defences of Fort Camden and Fort Carlisle. During the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921), Templebreedy was somewhat isolated, and ambushes by IRA Brigades were not uncommon on supplies to the fort.[17] Following the Anglo-Irish Treaty the harbour defences remained in the control of British Armed Forces, until July 1938 when the Treaty Port installations, including Templebreedy, were relinquished to Irish authorities.[13]

The Irish Defence Forces continued to maintain and operate the batteries throughout the Emergency (WWII), until the defences were largely decommissioned in 1946.[10] Though the large 9.2 inch guns remained in place until the 1960s,[14][18] the buildings and grounds continued to be used into the 1970s and later (including for training camps by Army Reserve (FCÁ) and Naval Reserve (Slua Muirí)).[18]

As of the early 21st century, though a number of buildings, concrete emplacements, underground magazine stores and other structures still stand, no guns or defensive elements remain, and the site is no longer used for military purposes.[7]

Today

[edit]
Plan of lower harbour showing location relative to other installations: (A) Haulbowline Naval Base, (B) Fort Mitchel/Westmoreland, (C) Fort Meagher/Camden, (D) Fort Davis/Carlisle, (E) Fort Templebreedy

From the original construction of the fortifications at Templebreedy, there was some contention about access rights. This manifest in political debates about rights of way (as early as 1909),[19] suspected unauthorised access resulting in accidental shooting (in 1940),[20][21] building of houses off Defence Forces' access roads (1949),[22] and "overholding" of assigned quarters by Defence Forces' personnel (as late as 2012).[23][24]

Some years after the complex ceased to be used for active defence purposes, some of the site was laid-out as a pitch and putt course. However this was closed – amid some controversy – in 2005.[25] Though Cork County Council added Fort Templebreedy to a list of protected structures in 2009,[7][26] ostensibly to protect the site and potentially prepare it for development as a heritage and recreation site, as of 2020 it remained in the ownership of the Department of Defence.[2] Public access to the site therefore remains limited.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Schedule of Land and Buildings". Appropriation Account 2015 - Vote 36 - Defence (PDF) (Report). Comptroller and Auditor General. 2015. p. 24. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Defence Forces Properties - Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 March 2020 - Written Answers (Question to Defence)". oireachtas.ie. Houses of the Oireachtas. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020. Fort Templebreedy, which comprises c.37 acres, remains an operational facility and continues to be used by the Defence Forces. There are no plans under consideration to dispose of the site at this time
  3. ^ "Coastal Defence Artillery Collection" (in Irish). Irish Defence Forces- Military Archives. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Coast Artillery Gallery: Ireland". Victorian Forts and Artillery. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  5. ^ "Co Cork, Templebrady (Crosshaven), Fort". Dictionary of Irish Architects. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Templebreedy Fort Could Become a National Monument". CorkHarbour.ie. September 2008. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  7. ^ a b c "Written Answers – Departmental Properties". Oireachtas Hansard. 24 February 2009.
  8. ^ "Dáil record - Written answers - Tuesday, 8 November 2022 - Department of Defence - Defence Forces". 8 November 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2024 – via kildarestreet.com.
  9. ^ Ireland Green Guide Michelin 2012–2013. Michelin Green Guides. 2011. ISBN 9782067182172.
  10. ^ a b c d "Victorian Forts and Artillery – Templebreedy PDF Datasheet" (PDF). Victorian Forts and Artillery. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  11. ^ Paul M. Kerrigan (1995). Castles and fortifications in Ireland, 1485–1945. Collins Press. p. 16. ISBN 1898256128.
  12. ^ McIvor, Aidan (1994). A History of the Irish Naval Service. Irish Academic Press. p. 65. ISBN 9780716525233.
  13. ^ a b Department of Foreign Affairs (1 June 1938). "Letter from John W. Dulanty to Joseph P. Walshe (Dublin) with copies of the minutes of the British-Irish meetings regarding the transfer of Treaty Ports". Documents on Irish Foreign Policy.
  14. ^ a b Ian Stevenson (February 1998). "The Cork Harbour Defences". The Redan (42). Palmerston Forts Society.
  15. ^ Adrian J. English (2005). Irish Army Orders of Battle 1923–2004. p. 39. ISBN 9780972029674.
  16. ^ Richard Haldane (Secretary of State for War) (19 October 1909). "Templebreedy Fort, Crosshaven, County Cork". Hansard (Commons) - Written Answers.
  17. ^ Bureau of Military History, 1913-21, Statement by Witness (PDF) (Report). Bureau of Military History. 1956.
  18. ^ a b "23rd Infantry Battalion (History and notes)" (PDF). An Cosantóir. 36 (6). Irish Defence Forces: 158. June 1976. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  19. ^ Richard Haldane (Secretary of State for War) (16 September 1909). "Templebreedy Fort, Cork". Hansard (Commons) – Oral Answers.
  20. ^ A Defence Forces sentry, who asserted that three figures were approaching the fort, fired a shot, and was himself injured. A Garda report suggested that the sentry had in fact fired towards three pillars, and was injured by a ricochet from his own weapon
  21. ^ An Garda Síochána (20 February 1940). Shooting incident in Fort Templebreedy, county Cork (Report). National Archives of Ireland. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  22. ^ "Oral Answers – Department of Defence Rent Demands". Oireachtas Hansard. 14 December 1949.
  23. ^ "Dept of Defence to move on "overholders" in Irish barracks". TheJournal. 14 February 2012.
  24. ^ "Defence Forces Property". Oireachtas Hansard. 19 January 2012.
  25. ^ "Dangerous pitch-and-putt course closed". Irish Independent. 12 April 2005.
  26. ^ "Record of Protected Structures" (PDF). Cork County Council. 2009. p. 68. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.