placenamesKilbride
Cill Bhríde
Military and parliamentary records trace the training ground near Manor Kilbride from its establishment to later Irish Army use.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Cill Bhríde · Irish · main form
- Kilbride · English · main form
Place & story
A range for Dublin’s infantry
Kilbride Camp developed as a shooting ground for infantry stationed in Dublin. The Blessington heritage account records the War Office acquiring approximately 1,552 acres in 1897 for £5,715, followed by fourteen acres in 1899. Ten ranges accommodated different weapons and distances, from short pistol practice to rifle firing over a thousand yards. [2]
Completion reported to Parliament
On 7 March 1901, Lord Stanley told the House of Commons that Kilbride's rifle ranges had been completed since the previous September. He was answering Courtenay Warner's question about newly completed and closed ranges. The statement provides a contemporary date for completion, distinct from the earlier acquisition of the training land. [3]
Reservists on the ranges
A Defence Forces report describes 7 Infantry Battalion reservists travelling from Cathal Brugha Barracks to Kilbride for annual rifle practice in April 2017. Reservists from communications and cavalry units joined them. Armourers checked the rifles, and firing qualification formed part of the troops' continuing training. The account documents the camp's later role within the Irish Defence Forces. [4]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Kilbride. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Kilbride Camp: Musketry training base, 18 October2024 · Peter Kelly, based on Peter Reynolds, Blessington Now and Then2002
- Rifle Ranges, HC Deb7March1901 vol90 c794 · UK Parliament, Historic Hansard
- On the Firing Line, An Cosantóir, May2017, printed p16 · CQMS Michael Barrett, Defence Forces
- The approach to Kilbride Camp, County Wicklow, as photographed in August 2008 illustration: based on a Kilbride Army Camp by JP. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2011-05-26. How this page was prepared.