Sale of Army Barracks
In the build-up to the budget, Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea suggested that some army barracks in Ireland would be sold. Four barracks and a military hospital located along the border with Northern Ireland were deemed suitable for closure as the British Army had withdrawn a number of years previously. The closure of Rockhill Barracks and Lifford Barracks in County Donegal was expected to impact heavily on the economy of nearby Letterkenny. Two other army barracks closed as of January 2009; Monaghan Barracks was the first to close on 22 January, with Connolly Barracks in Longford following suit on 29 January. Barracks expenditure had previously been discussed in the Dáil in 1983 and six barracks were sold in 1999 by the then Minister for Defence Michael Smith.
Read more about this topic: Fallout Of The 2009 Irish Government Budget
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