A plan by Fermoy’s Post 25 United Nations Veterans’ Association to establish an interpretative centre and military museum at Fitzgerald Camp in the town won further support this week, at a meeting of the northern area committee of the county council.

A motion was tabled by Cllr Noel McCarthy that they write to the Minister for Defence, calling on him, in the event of the Reserve Forces Headquarters being moved from Fitzgerald Camp, to give serious consideration to an application from the local veterans association to hand over the facility to them to allow them proceed with their plans. Cllr McCarthy pointed out that, if the Reserve Forces go, the UN veterans initiative would allow one list link with the town’s long military tradition, which would otherwise be lost, to remain. His motion won the unanimous support of members. 

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr McCarthy said he now hoped to bring the matter to the full Cork County Council for support. Apart from maintaining a military link with the town and the economic benefit such a development would yield, he said it would be of benefit to the Queen of Peace church to have the veterans in charge of the site which adjoins theirs, rather than leaving it derelict.

The Defence Forces signalled its intention to move the Reserve Forces training facilities from Fitzgerald Barracks in Fermoy to Mallow late last year in a decision that proved highly contentious as it was considered that Fermoy had the better training facilities and because of the inconvenience to members in having to travel to Mallow.