Templebreedy Battery
| Fort Templebreedy | |
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| Dún Theampall Bríde | |
| Near Crosshaven in County Cork in Ireland | |
Irish Coastal Defence Artillery exercise at Fort Templebreedy in the 1940s
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 Fort Templebreedy
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| Coordinates | 51°47′25″N 8°16′59″W / 51.79036°N 8.28306°WCoordinates: 51°47′25″N 8°16′59″W / 51.79036°N 8.28306°W |
| Type | Coastal defence battery |
| Area | 37 acres (15 ha) |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Department of Defence |
| Condition | Largely deconstructed |
| Emplacements | Two BL 9.2 inch Mark X guns (Other Quick-firing practice guns) |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1904-1909 |
| In use | Until ~1940s (as coast defence) Until ~1980s (as training camp) |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | British Armed Forces, Irish Defence Forces |
Fort Templebreedy (Irish: Dún Theampall Bríde), also known as Templebreedy Battery, was a coastal defence fortification close to Crosshaven, in County Cork, Ireland. Supplementing a number of earlier structures at Fort Camden and Fort Davis, the site was developed between 1904 and 1909 to defend the mouth of Cork Harbour. Used as a coastal artillery position until the 1940s, and as a military training camp until the late 20th century, many of the structures of the 37 acre site were dismantled over time, and part of the complex used as a pitch and putt course. In 2009, Cork County Council added the site to a proposed list of protected structures – though as of 2013 it remains in the ownership of the Department of Defence.
As with other earlier coastal defence fortifications at Fort Camden (Crosshaven) and Fort Carlisle (Whitegate), the batteries at Templebreedy were designed to defend the strategically important entrance to Cork Harbour. By the early 20th century, a number of improvements were proposed to the harbour defences - including the installation of newer Breech-loading 9.2 Inch guns. Rather than installing these guns at Fort Camden, it was decided to build separate batteries slightly south of the existing fort, at Templebreedy, to cover threats outside the harbour approaches in the Celtic Sea.
Built between 1904 and 1909, the fortification included concrete gun emplacements for two BL 9.2 inch Mark X guns, underground magazines, searchlights, and a number of machine-gun positions. A practice range was added later for smaller QF 12-pounder guns. A further battery was constructed for BL 6-inch Mark VII guns; however, these were never installed. By the end of construction in 1909, there was accommodation in place for four officers and 81 non-commissioned officers and men.
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