See the island in a different light!
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WALK AN ABANDONED PRISON, SIT IN A SOLITARY CELL, EXPERIENCE A PLACE OF PUNISHMENT, ONCE CALLED – “IRELAND’S HELL”
SPIKE ISLAND IS A PLACE OF MYSTERY AND MAGIC THAT OVER THE CENTURIES HAS BEEN USED AS A PLACE OF WORSHIP, DEFENCE, CONFINEMENT AND PUNISHMENT. OUR FULLY GUIDED DAY TOURS GIVE VISITORS A SENSE OF THE RICH MILITARY, PENAL AND SOCIAL HISTORY OF THE ISLAND, SHARING THE STORIES OF THE MANY WHO CALLED THE ISLAND HOME.
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Our frightening history
But there is another side to this often dark and dangerous place that we do not tell to any day tour. A sombre and frightening history about prison life that is not for the faint of heart.
Join us on one of our Spike Island After Dark’ tours to learn about the chilling history that haunts this beautiful island habitat. Hear about the horror of the convict’s treatment when Spike was the world’s largest prison, back in the 1850’s. The Punishment block, a prison built with the sole purpose of punishing human beings, was created at this time. Its dreadful conditions include the dark cells which hold many memories.
You will hear about the mass graves that litter this beautiful island, the result of foul conditions and overcrowding during the worst of the famine years. These forgotten restless souls sit in unmarked graves under the islands lush grasslands, victims of an unfair time.
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The Islands beauty
The islands beauty did not spare it from the worst of human nature, and you’ll hear the stories of murders that took place, like that of nationalist Patrick White who was killed in a spiteful act of revenge by his keepers.
We talk about the brutal murder of a prison warder in the 1800’s, a event carried out by some of the many dangerous characters who were imprisoned on Spike. Those offending were sent to the Punishment block, sitting chained to the wall in their cells, covered head to toe in black save for 2 slits for eyeholes.
Your tour will include you to areas no day tour are allowed to see, as we walk abandoned prisons and solitary cells that are sure to chill and excite.
The islands fame has seen regular visits from TV crews, with the Discover Channel series ‘Legendary Locations’ and US TV show ‘Destination Fear’ devoting episodes to the location.
Now it’s your chance to visit the island and discover for yourself. Do you dare to visit Spike Island After Dark?
