Stalemate over Tipperary barracks as historic site continues to deteriorate

Nenagh's former military barracks remains in limbo despite the Department of Defence confirming that it has no use for the site and wants to dispose of it.

The Department has said the barracks has not been required for military purposes since 2008 and that it has contacted Tipperary County Council “on numerous occasions” about disposing of the property.

However, more than 18 years after it ceased to have a military use, the future of the site remains uncertain and its historic buildings continue to deteriorate.

The Department's latest response also appears to put any further consideration of the future of much of the site on hold while it allegedly engages with a local school which has expressed an interest in acquiring some of the lands.

The Department told the Tipperary Star that first registration of the property was completed in 2022 “to facilitate any potential transfer”.

However, it has not provided any indication of when a potential transfer might take place, despite the long-running efforts by local representatives, Tipperary County Council and the Nenagh Military Barracks Restoration Committee to find a future for the site.

The Department was specifically asked whether it had carried out a full survey of the site and prepared a report on the condition of the buildings.

It did not answer that question, nor did it provide details of any structural assessment.

Instead, the Department said that in April 2026 a local school expressed an interest in potentially acquiring some of the lands at the former barracks for future expansion.

It said discussions are ongoing and that the Minister for Defence is keen to ensure local educational needs are prioritised.

“As such, no further analysis of the potential future use for the remainder of the barracks can begin until the outcome of discussions with the local school are complete,” the Department said.

The response means that while the Department says it does not require the property and wants to dispose of it, there is still no clear path towards deciding what will happen to the remainder of the site.

That is frustrating for those who have been trying to find a new use for the historic barracks.

The Nenagh Military Barracks Restoration Committee wants the buildings preserved and developed as a cultural, tourism and community facility.

John Flannery and Michael Reynolds said the group's vision goes beyond simply creating a military museum, with potential for exhibition and gallery space and projects linked to military history, the Shared Island initiative and other cultural uses.

They also believe the barracks could complement other historic sites in Nenagh, including the old jail, as part of a wider tourism offering.

The group has said it would be prepared to take on responsibility for the site under a lease arrangement if the necessary support could be put in place.

Flannery said the condition of the buildings has deteriorated substantially since the Department of Defence left the site.

He recalled that when the property was considered for use by the Revenue Commissioners in 1984, the buildings were in good condition and the roof was intact. Since then, he described the deterioration as “death by a thousand cuts”.

The committee believes the buildings can still be saved and has suggested that restoration could be undertaken in stages, beginning with stabilising the site and repairing the roof before individual sections are restored over a number of years.

The restoration campaign has previously received support from Tipperary County Council.

In 2023, Nenagh Municipal District passed a motion supporting the retention and conservation of the barracks and a further motion was passed to establish a subcommittee to work with the restoration committee. However, Flannery said little has happened since.

Local TD Ryan O'Meara has been pressing the Department for a structural survey of the site, arguing that the condition of the buildings needs to be established before any meaningful decision about their future can be made.

He said he had previously been told by the Department that a survey would be carried out but that its position now appears to have changed following the interest from the local school.

“The future use is all speculation until you know the condition of the building,” he said.

“They can still survey all the bits that are there, and they still have to. It's their responsibility. That's no one else's.”

A portion of land at the rear of the barracks is understood to be of interest to the Nenagh Christian Brothers Schools, which has been engaging with the Department about potentially acquiring the land for future expansion.

O'Meara believes that issue should not prevent the Department from assessing the condition of the remaining buildings.

Cllr Seamie Morris has also been seeking movement on the site and recently revived a council plan dating back to 2004/05.

He said the barracks is an important site for Nenagh but believes its future has to be determined by the condition of the existing buildings.

Morris recalled a survey carried out in 2004 which, he said, indicated that the site had around 10 years left. More than 20 years have now passed and the council has been unable to locate a copy of that survey.

While he would have no objection to the buildings being used as a museum if somebody was prepared to fund it, Morris said he would favour a retirement village if the existing structures cannot be saved.

He said the location would be suitable for such a development and could bring additional people into the town and benefit local businesses.

At the same time, he said there needs to be a proper decision about what can be retained and what may have to be removed if parts of the existing buildings are unsafe.

There is therefore no shortage of ideas about what could happen to Nenagh's former barracks.

There are people prepared to campaign for its restoration, local representatives seeking answers, a council that has previously backed its conservation and a school looking at the possibility of acquiring part of the land. All that remains to be missing is a clear plan from the owner of the property.

The Department says it has no military use for the site and wants to dispose of it and as previously mentioned, registration was completed four years ago to facilitate a potential transfer.

Yet the buildings continue to deteriorate and the Department has not provided the structural assessment that would establish what remains viable.

The latest development means that even consideration of the future use of the remainder of the site is now dependent on another set of discussions being concluded.

For a site that has been surplus to military requirements since 2008, that leaves Nenagh in much the same position it has been in for years, waiting for the Department to take the steps necessary to allow someone else to begin doing something with it.