Ballyquirk

51°55'59"N 008°01'02"W

Runway: n/a - landing field - grass

Ballyquirk airfield (Ballyquirk Airship Station, also known as Killeagh Airship Station) was to become an airship airfield in country.
Its construction began in 1918 on a 365 acre site, commandeered under the Defense of the Realm Act. It was to become a 'War Base' capable of storing and maintaining two non-rigid Coastal Class airships and two rigid 33-Class airships. Given the size of the enterprise it was fortunate to have a railway line running next to the airfield. A siding was built and a platform erected to take in goods. All of the construction materials came from England to Cork by ship, from where they were transported to Killeagh by rail.
Work on the base continued for the remainder of the war and through the Armistice. It was only stopped on the 20th of August 1919. At this point the structures on site consisted of two partially completed airship hangars. The rigid airship shed measured 840x150x130ft and the coastal airship shed measured 356x160x75ft. Other structures included an Electricity Generator Station, quarters for 18 officers and 297 men, offices, stores, a garage, canteen, the guard house, the railway connection and a water tower.
In 1919 Ireland was going through the War of Independence and the base saw a failed raid to gain arms an ammunition. The unused parts of the large airship sheds were transported back to Liverpool, but all the other structures remained under armed guard until independence.


map with the general layout of the airfield in 1919 (killeagh-inch.org).

After the formation of the Irish State there was much argument between the British Air Ministry and the Irish Commissioners of Public Works. The issue was about who was to pay the rents to the landowners. Eventually it was agreed that the Irish Government would take over payments after 31st December 1922. 
The post Civil-War Irish Government had no idea what to do with the base. By now it was suffering large scale looting of building materials. The heavy galvanised corrugated iron used in shed construction was especially prized.
Although the airfield was briefly considered as a station for the Saorstat (Irish) Army Air Force, it was never to be. By 1932 the lands were being returned to their original owners.
In 1938 Killeagh was one of the sites considered for a future Cork Airport. 

Today there are still remains visible of the airship station. The tall concrete water tower dominates the skyline to the west of Killeagh. Most of the huts have gone, but their concrete footings are still visible. The large two story structure is believed to be the electricity generating plant, used for the production of hydrogen.


Remains of Ballyquirk/Killeagh in 2011 (Joe Healy).