Field Gun with a long record of service in Ireland goes on public display at the
National Museum of Ireland after a chance sighting and subsequent return from the USA
Display comes just after 100th anniversary of Collins Barracks handover
For immediate release; Feburary 9th, 2023: An 18pdr field gun with an intriguing backstory goes on display at the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History today, on loan from the Irish Defence Forces.
From its production in Scotland (circa 1918) and war service in France, to its role in the Irish Civil War on the streets of Dublin and onwards to a quiet field of ivy behind the Lazy Susan Diner Theatre in Virginia, USA, the 18pdr Field Gun 9168 is a fascinating relic of Ireland’s early years of independence.
18pdr field guns were the standard light artillery gun of the British and Commonwealth forces in WWI. Up to 250,000 Irishmen served in the British Army at this time, many of whom were gunners who used large weapons, such as this 18pdr, on the Front.
The 18pdr Field Gun 9168 was acquired by the new Irish state from the departing British forces and used during the Irish Civil War of 1922-1923. It is likely to be one of those used against the Anti-Treaty IRA forces occupying the Four Courts (and Public Record Office of Ireland) as part of the Battle for Dublin in the summer of 1922.
The gun saw further service in the reserves in the Irish Army until 1959 when it was then sold as part of a shipload of artillery and machine guns to the International Armament Corporation (InterArmCo) of Alexandria, Virginia in the USA. It was subsequently bought by an owner of a recently opened diner theatre and restaurant overlooking the banks of the Occoquan River a few miles from Alexandria, who displayed it outside his restaurant for the next 40 years.
A chance sighting of the gun by a curator from National Museum of the US Army, Ken Smith-Christmas, began the return of the 18pdr Field Gun 9168 to Ireland decades after it had departed. Ken spotted the gun outside the diner, at this stage covered in ivy. A series of chance encounters - including a presentation by Lar Joye, who was then a curator at the National Museum of Ireland and had delivered a presentation at the ICOMAM Conference in Canada about the Museum’s new ‘Soldiers and Chiefs Exhibition’ – led Ken to realise the significance of the ivy-covered field gun which was sitting outside a now disused diner.
As a result of concerted efforts by Ken and Lar, the gun’s owner Glenn Gates – whose wife was of Irish ancestry - ultimately agreed to donate it to the Irish Defence Forces. Field Gun 9168 returned to Ireland in August 2016 and now, following careful conservation works to restore it to its original state, it will go on public display at the National Museum of Ireland, only a short time after the 100th anniversary of the handover Collins Barracks - the final garrison to be handed over to the Irish Free State.
Director of the National Museum of Ireland, Lynn Scarff, said; “We are delighted to receive the 18pdr Field Gun 9168 on loan to the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History at Collins Barracks. It played a part in a significant period of this country’s history, and its subsequent retrieval is a fascinating story of chance encounters and coincidences that enabled its return to Ireland. It has been restored to a very high standard by the Irish Defence Forces and we know it will be a source of great intrigue and discussions for visitors for months and years to come.”
Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces Lieutenant General Seán Clancy said; “It is a great pleasure for me to be present at the launch of both the 18-pounder and the 'Raising the Flag' exhibition. For 25 years Óglaigh na Éireann and the National Museum of Ireland have enjoyed a strategic partnership that continues to thrive. I am delighted that our valued and indeed symbiotic partnership continues and that the National Museum of Ireland remains committed to telling the story of Ireland’s rich military heritage”.
Ends //
Images of the field gun can be found here
Media Contacts: Q4 Public Relations: Sinéad McGovern, sinead@q4pr.ie (087 6411725) Sabrina D’Angelo, sabrina@q4pr.ie (086 0323397)
Photography to be released by Kenneth O’Halloran, 087-139 2101