Gormanston Camp (RAF Station Gormanston)

Gormanston Camp is an Irish military installation encompassing approximately 260 acres in County Meath. It is situated between Balbriggan and Drogheda near the M1 motorway and Gormanston railway station. Established in 1917 as a Royal Flying Corps training depot, the site became RAF Station Gormanston in April 1918. In January 1920, the Royal Air Force transferred its aircraft to Baldonnel Aerodrome and placed the station under care and maintenance.

Between August 1920 and August 1922, the facility served as a training sub-depot and dispatch center for the Royal Irish Constabulary. The camp was transferred to the Irish National Army in August 1922, officially opening as an Irish army facility and the Headquarters of the Transport Section in October 1922. From September 1922 to December 1923, the site operated as an internment camp for Republican prisoners captured during the Irish Civil War. During the Second World War, the base provided accommodation for personnel in Nissen huts and served as an internment center for RAF aircrews.

The Irish Air Corps established a permanent presence at the camp in 1945. No. 1 Fighter Squadron operated from the base starting in 1944, equipped with Hawker Hurricanes and later Spitfires. In 1956, the squadron relocated to Casement Aerodrome. Between 1969 and 1971, the site functioned as a refugee center for displaced persons.

The Irish Army currently operates Gormanston Camp, utilizing the site for air-ground and air-defense training. Although the airfield officially closed in 2002, the installation maintains an active control tower and approach. Infrastructure includes three runways; while these are designated as unserviceable for standard operations, the tarmac runway is maintained for emergency use.