Naas aka Devoy Barracks

Naas (Kildare)

According to the Dublin Fusiliers website, a new barracks at Naas began construction in 1810. This building replaced an older one damaged in the late 1790s. According to the website, in 1881 'the British army changes in regements resulted in creation of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers from units of the Indian Army. And the Dublin County militia regiments became the 3rd, 4th and 5th Battalions of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. Naas was designated as the depot of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers'.

During World War 1, County Kildare people organised fund-raising to aid the families and soldiers involved. The work for the men of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers was inaugurated by the Committee of the Dublin Women’s Unionist Club at a meeting held in August, 1914, at the offices of the Club at No. 10 Leinster Street, Dublin. This Committee collected and dispatched newspapers, magazines and books to the Battalions of the Regiment serving with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders.

Four separate committees began work independently in Ireland from October 1914, with the object of supplying comforts for Royal Dublin Fusilier soldiers at the front or prisoners of war. A Central Advisory Committee of the R.D.F. was formed to co-ordinate the work of the following four groups:- The Royal Dublin Fusiliers Bureau, The Ladies Committee of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, The Dublin Women’s Royal Dublin Fusiliers Committee and The Co. Kildare Committee. The last Committee was the only one based in County Kildare and sent out fortnightly parcels of food to all the Royal Dublin Fusiliers prisoners of war, other than at Limburg, at over twenty different camps in Germany.

The Co. Kildare Committee of the RD.F. alone, dealt with 500 prisoners of the R.D.F. in 1916. Various fund-raising events were organised by the Committee to help the Soldiers in whatever way possible:-

“Today (Saturday) at 2.30 p.m. his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant will open the Fete at Carton, Maynooth, in aid of the funds for supplying food, etc., to 600 prisoners of war and comforts to six battalions now at the front, of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. A special train will leave Broadstone at 2 p.m. for Maynooth; return fare, 1s.” Leinster Leader - 2 September, 1916

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