We held a meet and greet day on 30th August 2014 for Heritage Week. It was a successful day with people coming and going all day. There was great interest in a talk given by one of our founder members Oliver McCrossan on the Wakefield Trophy car races at the Curragh in the fifties and the tragedy in the 1954 race which resulted in the deaths of three men.
We had a stand at the Open Day advertising our current project “The Curragh Families Hospital Monument” and had the original registers of birth from 1951 on display, thanks to Charlie Walsh, Curragh Military Museum.
The Curragh Local History Group has been given permission to erect a permanent monument in the Memorial Garden opposite St. Brigid’s Garrison Church, Curragh Camp, to commemorate The Curragh Families Hospital which was closed in 1984. Built by the British Army it served as a purpose built Families Hospital for over one hundred years. The hospital catered not only for the maternity needs, it also provided an excellent medical service, second to none for the Families of The Curragh Camp. The hospital had seen hundreds if not thousands of births within its walls, and sadly on occasion the passing of family members. The Hospital was demolished in the early 1990’s and very little now remains on the site of this once important Curragh Camp landmark.
Our annual outing was held on 31st August 2014. 27 members travelled to Bellewstown to see an exhibition on men from that area who fought in WWI. It was organised by the Bellewstown History Group. We then went to Beaulieu House and Gardens in Drogheda and then on to the Milhouse Museum and Martello Tower in Drogheda as well. A good day was had by one and all.