Spike Island

After 14 centuries of military and ecclesiastical heritage, 2005 saw the then-Justice Minister Michael McDowell put in place proposals to turn Spike Island into Ireland’s Alcatraz through the construction of a €70 million super-prison. Spike Island, situated proudly in Cobh Harbour, has a long penal history. Cromwell used it as a holding center for those awaiting transportation to Barbados, and prisoners of the War of Independence were kept there before the island was finally handed over to the