Wasn't at all sure where to best put this. Anyway; Anyone into them, please? I know of a few, here in Co. Leitrim. I've even measured and photographed one, just this week end. Trouble is, I genuinely have no idea what they were all about. My 'educated' guess work ~ coupled with the confused and confusingly vague responses from my friends here ~ might suggest the Black 'n Tans? If that's so, it's a wonder the things are still here, completely untouched by anything but time. Either way, they fascinate me. Being an Old Pompey Boy, I grew up with such structures and, of course, never gave a damn about them. Now I have one just down the road from me, again, and am gagging to record and learn more about it, and the others I've found out about. Anyone here able to give me any pointers, please?
Steve send another Steve (cptpies) a PM he does all the Defence of Britain stuff on Google Earth Andy
Are these the concrete watchposts that the Coastal Service used Steve? There are still many of them dotted around the landscape and were used to watch out for aircraft or ships.
Andy; Being as how I get locked out of here for days, I don't want to pM anyone. The torment and nuisance of not being able to follow up any communication would be intolerable. Gotthard; No, mate. These are concrete structures with machine gun slits at the front. To be found along roadsides. The one I examined recently is on a hillside, overlooking a road from a certain town. Further local intelligence is now looking like having provided the rather uncomfortable ~ for me ~ answer That said; I still like Pill Boxes and would be interested to compare these ones constructions with those in UK. I'd been looking out for information about " Irish Pill Boxes ". Now I think I'll just grab a standard work on British Pill Boxes and check out 'my ones' against the home grown blue prints. Which, I'd imagine, were shipped over here with ..... 'Cough!'
Wasn't at all sure where to best put this. Anyway; Anyone into them, please? I know of a few, here in Co. Leitrim. I've even measured and photographed one, just this week end. Trouble is, I genuinely have no idea what they were all about. My 'educated' guess work ~ coupled with the confused and confusingly vague responses from my friends here ~ might suggest the Black 'n Tans? If that's so, it's a wonder the things are still here, completely untouched by anything but time. Either way, they fascinate me. Being an Old Pompey Boy, I grew up with such structures and, of course, never gave a damn about them. Now I have one just down the road from me, again, and am gagging to record and learn more about it, and the others I've found out about. Anyone here able to give me any pointers, please? Steve Unfortunately I didn't include the NI pillboxes on my overlay as I had issues with converting from the Irish national Grid I will get around to it one day. However they are listed on the Defence of Britain site ADS: ArchSearch: Please accept the terms and conditions Just type in an area and the ones local to that point will come up. Edit: Sorry. Just realised you wrote Eire not NI so the DoB will be no help. Maybe if there is an equivalent of the Historical Environment Record for your county they will be included there. Looks like this might be a good place to start www.archaeology.ie: Home Cheers Steve
Cheers, Steve (Are ye really the fat b*stard that ate all the pies? ) I'll give that link a check over in a minute. Been immersed in a neck deep mire of bricks and glue ~ Family Tree ~ for too long now and need a break. That'll be nice. If ye have any interest in what went on (or up) here, I have some shots of one of the local boxes. I can pop them up here and, perhaps, ye could make something of it. I certainly have one burning question, about the square hole, high in the back wall. Anyway, right now I'm doing a crafty Ron G; I'm simply Not going to close this page! If I have to leave the machine running all night and day. If that keeps me in here? Fine. I'd sooner fry the PC than get locked out again
Glad to be of some help Steve. Post a picture on here and I'll give it a once over. As long as it's not a picture of a pie, I've had enough of them
And that was me; Gone for days, again Anyway, following on from ye link there, I dug out a most interesting PDF of Leitrim County Councils big battle plans for several years, ending a year or so back, as far as I could make out and remember. One idea they had was to List all our Pillboxes! Then it all hit the fan ~ for me, as perhaps it did the council? Not sure bout them, yet. But I'll try to follow it up and see if anything was ever done. Imagine that? Getting my hands on a ready made list?! Meanwhile, here's a couple of shots of the one I've been talking about. 90" Square, externally. Shuttered concrete construction. It has nothing inside it. Internal height c. 50" (So full of mud and water now, it's hard to say) Entrance hole, round the back, is low set (mostly buried, by now) but otherwise unguarded. There's a 9" square hole diagonally across, above the door.
Thanks for the pics Steve. I suspect the hole above the door was for ventilation and would probably have been covered by a grill. UK pillboxes often have them and also forward facing ones for periscopes in some.
Wasn't at all sure where to best put this. Anyway; Anyone into them, please? I know of a few, here in Co. Leitrim. I've even measured and photographed one, just this week end. Trouble is, I genuinely have no idea what they were all about. My 'educated' guess work ~ coupled with the confused and confusingly vague responses from my friends here ~ might suggest the Black 'n Tans? If that's so, it's a wonder the things are still here, completely untouched by anything but time. Either way, they fascinate me. Being an Old Pompey Boy, I grew up with such structures and, of course, never gave a damn about them. Now I have one just down the road from me, again, and am gagging to record and learn more about it, and the others I've found out about. Anyone here able to give me any pointers, please? Hi Steve, I think the answer to your question is that they are less to do with the War of Independence [Black & Tans] or even the Civil War immediately following - More likely they were erected during the 'Emergency'. My Dad was in the Irish Army Engineers (Eastern Command) for the duration of the 'Emergency' (i.e. WW2 to the rest of Europe) and recounted spending many unhappy hours in isolated places building such things. The interesting question is Why? - ? just in case the Brits attacked us? Certainly there were tensions between the Irish & British Governments (DeValera & Churchill) over the issue of Atlantic Convoys and Irish Ports at a time of great loss and need in Britain. Hope this helps (from Co Clare)
Cheers, Drumaneen. I feel the style and construction suggests 'WW2'. Though, what do I know? Left to sit and ponder it, I'd probably have concluded the same about the huge 'Palmerston' forts above Portsmouth. And they, of course, are Napoleonic! I asked a local only the other day. A guy who seems aware of the local stuff. To my surprise, and disappointment, he unhesitatingly declared they were IRA and erected as protection against the B&T's. That didn't quite add up. Then there's the fact that the 'local' boxes I'm aware of appear to form a cordon around a certain local town with something of a historical reputation. And they are watching the roads out of said town. Yet, we now have the pretty much undeniable knowledge that ye Dad built them??? Can't really argue with That then, can we?! So now I'm left to wonder about this: Could it be that two 'sets' of these boxes exist? One lot ~ maybe such as I'm experiencing ~ built earlier, watching over key places 'inwardly'. Then a later wave, as built by ye Dad there, to maybe cover the approaches too certain centres? Bottom line is, I think, until I'm able to gather a wider sample of physical evidence? It'll still be a bit up in the air just what I am playing with here. Don't you?
I asked a local only the other day. A guy who seems aware of the local stuff. To my surprise, and disappointment, he unhesitatingly declared they were IRA and erected as protection against the B&T's. That didn't quite add up. This dosen't wash with me either .. the old IRA were composed of 'Flying Columns' = Ambushes, hit & runs, dawn executions etc. There were no static defences built by the IRA. At a stretch it is possibe that the Free State Army might have built posts during the Civil War but you're right .. more work is needed. I'll have to keep an eye out here in Co Clare for such structures ... can't say that I have noticied any but I'll let you know. ps quite familiar with Portsmouth defences having lived in Hayling Is for some years
around a certain local town Which town? That could be important... Steve, if it's not personal or anything, can I ask what locations you've seen so far? Something comes to mind - wasn't all of the Free State's electricity generated down at Carrick-on-Shannon in the 1940s??? It was regarded as one of THE most important targets for a potential German invader.
PRK; I'm not a million miles from Carrick on Shannon. But, saying that? As a non driver, it might as well be half way to the moon, for me. Thus I'm really not that well acquainted with the place. This whole thing about boxes here, in Eire, is a very new venture for me indeed. Basically, I've always known there's one on the road into town. Again, as it's miles along a road I only really travel in a taxi, I'm yet to even get a look at that one. But, now that I think about it? That one's facing north and is 'certainly' in a position to guard the way into a town. Only, that raises the question of; 'Where are the other positions, on the other roads into that town?' I know there was at least one more, again facing a northerly road. But ..... No. Sorry. Every consideration just raises a hell of a lot more questions. I'm simply in no way able to even start attempting answers yet. I just like pillboxes
