The ‘horrid lash’: flogging in garrison towns

One December morning in 1845 the ‘loud and agonizing cries of a person apparently in the extremes of bodily torture and anguish’ echoed through the streets of Castlebar, County Mayo. In the town’s barrack a sergeant of the 30th Regiment…

What is a garrison town?

Garrison town: it’s an odd name to call any town. After all, many urban areas started off with fortifications built and occupied by soldiers. Strong walls were built to keep the marauders out and to protect the law-abiding traders and…