County Donegal: Finner Camp

Finner Camp, located in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, was handed over on 17th February 1922. Its origins go back to 1896, when the land was purchased by the British War Office for the establishment of a training camp; those trained there included the 36th (Ulster) Division in advance of their service in the Great War.

During the ‘Troubles’ (the ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s -1998) Finner had been one of several barracks and posts in County Donegal located close to the border with Northern Ireland, along with Rockhill House and Lifford Barracks. On 1st September 1973, the 28th Infantry Battalion was activated and replaced the temporary infantry groups that had been operating out of Finner Camp from 1969-1973. The Battalion’s headquarters was located at Finner Camp along with ‘C’ and ‘Support’ Company. ‘A’ Company was based at Lifford and ‘B’ Company at Rockhill. Presently, it is the only barracks in county Donegal and remains the home of the 28th Infantry Battalion.