Troops the priority over barracks, says Shatter

THE Defence Minister has insisted he will prioritise current Defence Force numbers — even if it’s at the expense of closing barracks that have no strategic importance.

Alan Shatter made the comments following weekend protests in Mullingar and Cavan where army families fear the closure of barracks as part of cost-saving plans.

Clodagh Graham, who was among the 1,000 people who protested in Mullingar while her husband was in the Lebanon on his sixth tour of duty, said the IMF would see through the closure of the barracks on purported cost-saving grounds.