Author: Arek

Get into the festive spirit at Spike Island this Christmas

Join us on Sunday, 7 December, for our annual Charity Christmas Concert, a heartwarming event organised by our Volunteers and staff.
As we celebrate the season of giving, all proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Street Angels Cork. Expect a memorable afternoon of festive music from The Sonatinas Choir under the direction of Conductor Rachel O’Brien in the charming surrounds of our Mitchel Hall building.

Tickets are €20 and include not only entry to the festive concert but also your ferry journey and time to self-explore our island and fortress.

Special thanks to our ferry provider, Doyle Shipping Group, who have kindly sponsored the boat on the day, to our cafe provider, Centra Cobh who provide food and refreshments free of charge, and to The Sonatinas Choir who give up their time voluntarily as do our tour guides and staff.

Embrace the holiday spirit with us at Spike Island this Christmas.

Secure your tickets now and be part of a day filled with music, history, and the joy of giving.

Boat departs from Kennedy Pier, Cobh at 2:15pm

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Get ready for a spooktacular adventure like no other!
Join us at Spike Island this Halloween for the ultimate family-friendly event,
The Spookfest Trail.

Bring your little goblins and witches and hop on board the fun ferry, before embarking on a fang-tastic adventure through the mysterious Spike Island, where you will find areas of the ancient fortress and prison transformed into a realm of Halloween spookiness! Along with their families, the little ones can trick or treat their way around the fortress with our brand new Halloween themed quiz trail – keep an eye out for our friendly tour guides who will be handing out sweet treats along the way!

Once your trick or treating is complete, you can relax at our cafe and gift shop. And that’s not all, our historic island offers an array of museums and child-friendly exhibitions as well as scenic island walks.

Don’t miss out on this unique Halloween experience, where history meets spook-tacular fun! Get your costumes ready and join us for an afternoon of enchantment, exploration, and Halloween surprises – the Spike Island Spookfest Trail promises a memorable Halloween experience that will delight children and parents alike.

Suitable for children aged 2+

GAOLS, GHOSTS, GARRISONS AND GASMASKS

A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPOSURE OF LIFE ON SPIKE ISLAND

by Fionnghuala Smith

Spike Island has a unique and specific history compared to the rest of Ireland.
It has had a British Military presence from 1779 to 1938 – a one hundred and fifty-nine-year span that has had to have a major influence on its residents and that of Cork Harbour over that period. From 1847 to 1883 it became a famine era prison but still had a garrison presence on the island during that time.

Even though Spike Island was a military establishment the resident children had a great freedom on the island and were able to play and wander anywhere they wanted. Spike was their world, and they were very much insulated from the outside – if they did travel it may be one day a week for a couple of hours to Cork city. Up on the War Department launches and back again a couple of hours later. Most children who were brought up on Spike Island never forgot their idyllic life there for the rest of their lives. Many who had to leave Spike and move to Cobh and elsewhere found it all very unsettling.

A terrible period happened for children when they put a prison there in 1847. Whence before and after the prison these children had the freedom of the island, now it became an island of incarceration, cruelty and devastation.

The exhibition tells some of these stories. Although all the stories are based on historical facts – like a good Hollywood movie certain embellishment and artistic license has been taken.

Official results below. PDF file + video.

Click to open the document in a new window.

Back by popular demand!

Following the sell-out success of our earlier 2025 event, we’re delighted to announce a second Spike Island 5km Race for this year. Lace up your running shoes and join us on Saturday, 20th September, for an unforgettable run on Ireland’s infamous prison island.

This unique event promises an adventure like no other – where else can you begin your race within the walls of a 200-year-old fortress before making your way around an iconic island surrounded by spectacular views of Cork Harbour.

The race kicks off at approximately 5:25 pm, promising an adrenaline-fueled dash through the island’s scenic routes. Our dedicated marshals will be on hand to guide you and ensure you stay on track throughout.

After crossing the finish line, each participant will receive a special Spike Island medal, and there will be a special medal ceremony to celebrate your triumphs, with awards for the fastest male and female runners.

So what are you waiting for? Embrace the challenge and create lasting memories at Spike Island. Boats depart from Cobh at 4 pm and 4:45 pm, and spaces are limited for this unique race event.

We’ll see you at the starting line!

An Exhibition by Barbara Diener – Culture Night 2025

Friday 19 September
5pm-7pm

Where Silence Settles is the result of this year’s artist residency at Spike Island, presented in the atmospheric Punishment Block as part of Culture Night this September. Developed by Cork-based artist Barbara Diener, the exhibition continues a five-year partnership between Spike Island and Sample-Studios, supporting site-responsive work that engages with the island’s layered history.

Diener brings a contemplative lens to Spike Island’s complex legacy. Her practice explores memory, time and obsolescence—qualities echoed in the island’s crumbling walls and overlooked narratives. Working with archival materials, installations, and both still and moving images, she constructs a visual narrative that traces what remains after silence has settled.

The exhibition draws from pivotal moments in the island’s past, including the story of The Aud and its connection to the Easter Rising. Diener’s haunting underwater video work and photographs of abandoned, overgrown architecture—often in areas not normally accessible to the public—reflect how nature slowly reclaims places marked by human ambition and conflict, offering a quiet meditation on loss, transformation and renewal.

Visitors are invited to engage during an artist talk accompanying the exhibition, providing further insight into the process and work on display. A short guided tour will take place at the beginning of the event.

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Friday, 5th September

Price per ticket: €27.95
Boat in: 5pm | Return: 8pm

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Unsettled States

Tom Casey with PJ Coogan

The 2025 Spike Island Literary Festival opens with a gripping conversation between acclaimed author Tom Casey and Cork’s own PJ Coogan of 96FM.

Travelling from New York especially for the festival, Casey delves into the dark heart of international crime fiction with Unsettled States—his bold third novel exploring voyeurism, infidelity, murder, and moral decay. With a sharp eye for social commentary and unexpected flashes of humour, Casey draws on a lifetime of global experience as a former airline pilot and documentary co-producer to craft stories that are as thrilling as they are thought-provoking.

Described by Kurt Andersen as “as thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is fun,” Unsettled States promises to be the centre of a compelling discussion to open this year’s festival.

Tom Casey

Tom Casey’s unconventional exploration of voyeurism, infidelity, murder, and spiritual corruption is shot through with flashes of social commentary and humour.

Tom spent decades traversing the world as a professional airline pilot. In addition to flying passenger jets and writing fiction, he also co-produced a recent film documentary ‘Flying Boat’. Casey lives in Connecticut with his partner, Silvia Erskine, and Phoebe, their rescue dog. ‘Unsettled States‘ is his third novel.

“Unsettled States is as thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is fun.”— Kurt Andersen, author of Heyday

PJ Coogan

After over 30 years on radio in Cork as a journalist, presenter and analyst, PJ’s voice is instantly familiar across the City & County.
Since 2014 he has been the presenter of the successful “Opinion Line” show on Cork’s 96FM.

The artworks on display in one of the cells at Spike Island are the culmination of a collaborative group project undertaken during the 2024–2025 academic year. For several years, the ceramic and textile classes in the Education Unit have worked closely together, producing mixed-media pieces—wall hangings and sculptures—that interweave personal stories and shared memory.

This year’s theme explores the natural world of Ireland. Each student selected a favourite wild animal or plant and expressed their ideas through personal sculptures or two-dimensional textile works. Using Visual Thinking Strategies, students observed and interpreted their environment—drawing on memory and imagination to create, even within the confines of prison life.

The resulting works are imaginative, often humorous and always deeply personal—blending the representational with the fantastical to form a striking exhibition.

Cork Prison Education Unit 2025