as security was expected to be even more lax than usual. However, the people operating the arms dumps had not expected the sheer amount of weaponry taken during the raid. The garrison The Magazine Fort did not have its own guard troops. These were supplied from infantry units stationed in the Command area. That particular night, the 7th (Dublin) Infantry Battalion, a reserve battalion stationed at Portobello Barracks (now Cathal Brugha Barracks), was responsible for supplying the guard, and the fire picket was supplied by a unit stationed in Islandbridge Barracks (now Clancy Barracks). On the evening of the Raid, the officer responsible for the defence of the fort, the same man who had filled the post for twenty-four years, had the following at his disposal for guard duty: One Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Six men armed with rifles and one Lewis gun One Military Policeman (MP) A fire picket, consisting of one NCO and four men, also equipped with rifles. The guard party were warned for duty on the evening of 22 December and given precise instructions as to their duties for the next morning. The raid Around 2000 hrs that night, according to the statements of the guards, the officer commanding left his post to go into the city. To do this the MP guarding the gates had to switch on the outer lights illuminating the entrance, open the inner gate, then open the outer gate. This was against standard operating procedure, but seemed to be a regular occurrence for visitors arriving and people leaving the fort. Once the officer had cleared the gate, the MP closed both gates and went back to his post. A little later, the son of the officer-in-charge appeared at the gate and was admitted. Around 2030, the gate bell rang again and the MP saw a civilian who said he had a parcel to deliver to the officer-in-charge. At his court martial, the MP testified that he answered that he would take the parcel and bent down to unbolt the gate, and when he stood up straight again he saw the muzzle of a revolver pointed in his face. The unidentified man told the MP to open the gate fully and put his hands up. At this point the IRA team appeared from both inside and outside the fort, confiscating the weapons of the sentry and MP. The sentry on guard at the