Castlebar Military Barracks

The infantry barracks at Castlebar, which were built on the site of an old castle, were completed in 1834.[2] The barracks became the home of the 3rd Battalion, the Connaught Rangers in the late 19th century and it was at Castlebar that the battalion was disbanded in 1901.[3]

A part of barracks was burnt down by the Irish Republican Army in spring 1922.[4] Blocks E/F and J/K/L and the hospital were completely destroyed[5] before the site was secured by the forces of the Irish Free State in summer 1922.[2]

On the night of 28 February 1957 the St. Patricks Boys National School building was burnt down, on 3 April 1957 the school was temporally relocated to blocks G and H of the barracks. A replacement school building was opened on 9 November 1961.[6][7]

The barracks, which latterly were used as a training camp by the Reserve Defence Forces, closed in March 2012 and the site has since been acquired by Mayo County Council.[8]

On 29 January 2016 when workers were probing the ceiling of block A they discovered a human skull.[9]

Although the barracks has sometimes been referred to as "Mitchell Barracks",[10] local media simply refers to it as "Castlebar Military Barracks".[11][12][13]