The Leinster's 2nd battalion stay in Preston terminated with the Phoenix Park murders in Ireland and on the 31st July 1882 the Battalion left for Ireland.

The Regiment moved from Preston to Ireland via Liverpool, embarking upon the liner Iberia to Kingstown, and then marched to Dublin. After spending a week in Richmond Barracks, Dublin, the Regimental moved to Curragh.

The Battalion was still under strength whilst at Curragh, and was reduced still further by having to provide 2 detachments at Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon. Facilities at Curragh were intensely disliked by the Regiment, and in October the regiment was successful in securing a response to a request to move to Birr near Limerick. On the 17th of November 1882, the Battalion left Newbridge by special train for Birr, or Parsontown, as it used to be called. Whilst at Birr, the Regiment, still under strength renewed their recruitment campaigns.

On the 18th of September 1883, the state of the Battalion was some 105 persons below strength comprising;

• Officers 21 officers,

• Sergeants 39

• Warrant Officers 2,

• Drummers 15

• Rank & File 345

The non-commissioned officers and men were in their home station and had very many friends in the neighbourhood. The Battalion became instinctively more Irish everyday as far as the non-commissioned officers and men were concerned, and the construction of the barracks at Birr was popular and produced many fine recruits from the territorial area. (Including one John Dickson, grandfather of the webmaster!).