New accommodation for up to 41 soldiers undertaking training or living on-base has been officially opened at Cork's Collins Barracks.
It is the first of a number of infrastructural projects due to be opened this year across the Defence Forces.
The rooms in the new €4.5 million accommodation block are spread over three floors and six separate wings - organised into four-person dorms and single en-suite rooms.
The official opening was performed by Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Minister Micheál Martin, accompanied by Deputy Chief of Staff Support of the Defence Forces, Major General Adrian Ó Murchú.
Speaking at the opening, Lieutenant Colonel Peadar Ó Catháin, Commanding Officer of the 1 Brigade Artillery Regiment, said the new accommodation is timely, with two residential career courses currently underway at the barracks, and a new recruit platoon due later this year.
Lt Col Ó Catháin said the Defence Forces recognizes that "our people are our greatest asset and as such we expect that the availability of modern, comfortable accommodation would be an additional incentive, not only for personnel to remain within the Defence Forces but as an incentive for personnel who seek a career that provides unprecedented opportunities and a life less ordinary".
It is the first of a number of infrastructural projects due to be opened this year across the Defence Forces, with the upgrade of Block 4 at the Haulbowline naval base now underway and work at the Renmore barracks in Co Galway due to finish in July.
The programme includes some ten accomodation projects which will eventually provide about 565 bed spaces across the country at a cost of €56 million.
Mr Martin called the investment in defence infrastructure as "unparalleled in the country's history" and said it is part of a wider investment and transformation process of the Defence Forces.
