Coastal Defence Artillery Collection
(1922-1957)

The Coastal Defence Artillery was established to take responsibility for the manning of fortifications following the handover of the Treaty ports in July 1938.

Scope and Content:

The Coastal Defence Artillery was originally arranged into five nominal sections. The first outlines the organisation and establishment of a coastal defence and the second section contains papers relating to the transfer of the various forts and harbours from the British Forces to the Irish Free State in 1938 and the drawing up of subsequent plans for the defence of the forts. The remaining sections contain files relating to personnel/staffing arrangements (including the establishment of an Engineer Corps for Coastal Defences), photographs, maps, plans and drawings (including photographs of Fort Shannon taken by the Air Corps Photographic Section) and miscellaneous section containing files broadly relating to Coastal Defence matters and the Naval Service. Incorporated in the files are the records demonstrating the routine operation of the forts including weekly inspection reports of all forts (1946 — 1953), named Spike Island, Fort Davis, Fort Templebreedy, Fort Shannon, Bere Island, Fort Dunree and Fort Lenan.

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