Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In 1998 the then Minister for Defence, Michael Smith, announced the closure of Magee Barracks at Kildare town. In so doing he brought to an end the history of the town as a garrison that had originally accommodated the British Army and, since the foundation of the State, members of the Irish Army. Thankfully, all staff and personnel were moved up the road to the Curragh Camp. At that time, however, recognising the importance of this 62-acre site to Kildare, he gave a firm commitment, subsequently endorsed by most of his successors, that ten acres of the barracks, or the value thereof, would be transferred for the benefit of the local community. Is the Minister going to honour that commitment?

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