THERE was more than a hint of nostalgia in the Fingal air following the recent closure of the Reserve Defence Forces Sluagh Hall in Swords.
The closure marked the end of many years of voluntary military service in the area.
The current Reserve Defence Forces (RDF) unit of the Sluagh Hall, A Company, 65th Reserve Infantry Battalion, has been disbanded in line with the recently published
‘Value for Money Review’ of the Reserve Defence Force published in November 2012.
As a result, the unit’s current officers and enlisted men and women will move to new positions in Permanent Defence Forces (PDF) units in central Dublin and Meath.
The closing of Sluagh Hall’s doors for the last time will end just under 75 years of military use of the hall since its opening by Eamon de Valera in 1938.
Sluagh Hall was one of a number of facilities purpose built in the 1930s and was refurbished in 1973 and again in 2002/2003.
Identically designed halls can still be seen in locations in Ireland such as Drogheda and others most of which are closing shortly.
There has long been a strong tradition of voluntary military service in the area of Fingal.
This manifested itself in many ways not least of which was the participation of men from the area in the 1916 rising, both in the city and rural areas of the county.
It was not until the establishment of the volunteers in the 1930s that it became possible to incorporate the voluntary element of military service effectively within the established structures of the defence forces.
Personnel of the reserve unit in Swords were traditionally drawn from the north county Dublin area, from the suburb of Donnycarney in the south, up to Balbriggan in the north and from the Ashbourne road in the west all the way to the east coast of Dublin including Rush, Skerries and Howth.
FCÃ and RDF units were the most visible part of the Defence Forces in many localities throughout the country.
In addition to their normal training in support of the PDF, the officers and enlisted men and women from the Sluagh Hall in Swords would most regularly be seen carrying out ceremonial duties, Presidential Guards, and guards of honour in their localities.
They also participated in local and national events such as St Patrick’s Day parades in Swords, Skerries and Balbriggan and 1916 Rising commemorative ceremonies in Kilmainham and outside the GPO in central Dublin amongst others.
Tucked away behind the high walls right beside Fingallians GAA Club, Sluagh Hall has been a part of the town of Swords for nearly 75 years.