Author: Arek

The 6 inch guns entered British service at the start of the 20th Century and saw use in naval, coastal and land artillery roles.  Three of these guns were located on Spike Island from around 1902. Two were mounted operationally in open emplacements on Number 3 Bastion and the third for training purposes in a covered building on the north of the island known as the Drill shed. In 1938 the Irish Army’s Coastal Defence Artillery took over Spike Island’s 6” guns.

In 1943 the Irish Army undertook the enormous task of relocating the guns to their present underground emplacements, deep within the forts walls at the end of long tunnels in Bastions 2 and 4 of the fortress.  Spike Island’s 6” guns were manned continuously throughout the ‘Emergency’ period, more commonly known internationally as World War 2.  After the war the role of Coastal Defence Artillery declined and the gunners were re-rolled to air defence artillery.

Spike Island’s 6 inch gun on Bastion 2 saw a new lease of life with the arrival of the Prison Service in 1985, with staff and inmates working on its restoration.  This task was completed by a team of ex-island residents and volunteers in the years after the heritage centre opened and they continue to maintain the weapons today.

Today both guns 1 and 2 are open to the public and are kept in a high state of restoration, and continue to impress the visiting public with their striking views out over Cork harbour. The 6 inch guns are the largest surviving examples of breech loading guns in Ireland.

Give the gift of an unforgettable experience with a Spike Island Voucher.

 

Looking for the perfect present this festive season? Give the gift of an unforgettable experience this Christmas with a Spike Island Voucher.

Treat someone special in your life to a day of adventure, history and memories to last a lifetime on Ireland’s prison island nestled in the stunning Cork Harbour.

Whether they’re a history buff, a military enthusiast or simply a fan of the great outdoors, they’ll love to find the gift of an island adventure under the tree this Christmas!

 

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Why choose a Spike Island Gift Voucher?

● A Day of Discovery: Embark on a ferry journey across Cork Harbour before exploring the rich history of Spike Island, from its monastic beginnings to its time as a fortress and prison.

● Guided Tours: Our knowledgeable guides will take your loved ones on an immersive journey, sharing fascinating stories and insights about the island’s past.

● Breathtaking Views: Marvel at the breathtaking views of Cork Harbor from the island. It’s a picture-perfect backdrop for creating lasting memories.

● Family-Friendly Fun: Spike Island is perfect for families! Children and adults alike can engage in interactive exhibits, enjoy the great outdoors, making it a special gift for the entire family.

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Please note: Gift vouchers can be purchased in values from €25 up to €200.

Our gift vouchers can be used to purchase tickets for a visit to Spike Island (including ferry journey, guided tour and access to the island) and can also be redeemed in our on-site gift shop.

Gift vouchers can be used to purchase tickets for both regular day tours to Spike Island and our After Dark Tours.

 

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Make this Christmas one to remember with the gift of adventure on Spike Island and surprise your friends and family with a memorable experience they can look forward to in 2025 and beyond.

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Get into the festive spirit at Spike Island this Christmas.

Join us on Sunday 8 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 The Park Road Day Care Centre in Cobh.

Expect a memorable afternoon of festive music from 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 Sonatinas Choir who give up their time voluntarily as do our tour guides.

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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Tickets €35* on sale now!

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Looking for the ultimate Halloween thrill?

Join us for an evening of mystery on one of our infamous After Dark Tours at Spike Island this Halloween season.

Not for the faint-hearted, our After Dark Tours bring you to areas of the island, usually off limits to the public, where spine-chilling stories of some of Ireland’s most notorious murders and deviants are brought to life.

Prepare to be led through eerie tunnels and abandoned prison cells under the cover of darkness. Explore  the haunting corridors of an abandoned prison, find yourself in the heart of solitary confinement, and immerse yourself in a place once infamously known as ‘Ireland’s Hell’ on this unique tour

This Halloween, embrace the spookiest season of all by diving into Spike Island’s dark history. Book your tickets now if you dare!

More details to follow!

Suitable for age 18+ only

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Get ready for a spooktacular adventure like no other!

Join us at Spike Island for the ultimate family-friendly Halloween event, The Spookfest Trail.

Saturday 26 – Thursday 31 October 2024

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 wonderland!

Along with their families, the little ones can then 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+

 

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Meet Our Artists-in-Residence: Liam Lavery and Eithne Ring

Spike Island is proud to welcome Liam Lavery and Eithne Ring as our current Artists-in-Residence.

About the Artists: Liam Lavery and Eithne Ring, LaveryRing, have been collaborating for over 25 years, working with a wide variety of materials including cast bronze, aluminium, steel, glass, enamelled copper, and printmaking. The focus of their work is site-specific, delving into the history, myths and geographical influences of each location. By transforming these elements, they weave patterns of reference into tangible, context-rich artworks. Notable examples of the work are ‘The Wave‘ at the Lusitania Memorial, Old Head of Kinsale and ‘Strongbow & Aoife‘, in the Viking Triangle, Waterford.

Residency Focus: During LaveryRing’s residency at Spike Island, Liam and Eithne will delve into the rich tapestry of Spike Island’s history by crafting an immersive experience centred on the olfactory senses. This project will blend the evocative power of scents with other mediums such as printmaking and sculpture, creating a multi-sensory narrative that reflects the human experience within the confines of Spike Island’s prisons.

Upcoming Event: Pop-up exhibition and Artists Talk | Spike Island | 23-25.08.2024
On these days you can meet the artists and see their work in progress while gaining insights into their creative process.

Artists’ Statement: “By connecting the stories and history of the prison with scents, we hope to stimulate dialogue and give the viewer a deeper level of insight into the lived experience of those who were incarcerated within its prison walls.”

This innovative approach aims to engage viewers on a multisensory level, enriching their understanding of the site’s historical context.

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“Liam Lavery and Eithne Ring’s residency at Spike Island has brought a fresh perspective to the island’s storied past“, said Spike Island’s curator, Dorota Gubbins. “Through their innovative approaches, they highlight historical events and individuals, presenting them in a way that redefines our understanding and appreciation of this historic site.”

THIS PROJECT IS THE RESULT OF A COLLABORATION BETWEEN SPIKE ISLAND, SAMPLE-STUDIOS AND SIRIUS ARTS CENTRE.

 

 

 

Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

This exhibition results from a groundbreaking course undertaken by prisoners from Cork Prison in collaboration with University College Cork (UCC). Developed by HSE Addiction Services, UCC, and James Leonard of ‘The Two Norries’ podcast, this module is the first UCC-accredited course in Substance Misuse and Addiction Studies offered within an Irish prison.

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UCC/HSE Level 7 NFQ Diploma in Substance Misuse and Addiction Studies Module (SS184): Understanding Drugs in a Social Context

Approach: The module uses a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach to assessment, aimed at attracting a diverse range of adult learners in the prison education unit. This method supports multiple means of performance, expression and representation, ensuring that all students can demonstrate their understanding in varied ways.

Content: Students study major psychopharmacological substances, both licit and illicit, including alcohol, antidepressants, anti-psychotics, benzodiazepines, hallucinogens, hypnotics, cannabis and cannabinoids, opiates, and stimulants. The course covers routes of transmission and the physical, mental, social and legal impacts of substance misuse. It also explores substance use on a continuum from no use to severe dependence and its effects on individuals, families, communities and society. Critical examination includes historical and socio-cultural understandings, abstinence approaches, harm reduction, safer injecting facilities and medical uses of controlled substances.

Aims: The course aims to equip students with knowledge of commonly misused substances, differentiating between substance use, misuse, dependence and addiction. It addresses the pharmacology of drugs and their biological, mood, behavioral and cognitive impacts. Students are engaged with Irish drug and alcohol policies and historical perspectives on substance misuse. The course introduces theoretical models of addiction, including the Moral, Bio-Medical, Disease, Psychological, and Socio-Cultural Models. It also evaluates non-substance-related addictions, such as gambling, gaming, and internet use, along with their treatments. Additionally, the course discusses critical issues affecting individuals with co-occurring substance misuse and mental health disorders.

Assessment and Learning Outcomes: Assessment includes continuous evaluation and an Object-Based Learning (OBL) project.
Supported by Cork ETB art teachers and an art therapist, students created final assessment artefacts that reflect their learning journey.

Transformational Learning: This exhibition showcases these artefacts, providing evidence of the students’ engagement and understanding. It aims to evoke curiosity, wonder, and appreciation for the transformative power of education within the prison environment.

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The Inside Out Project

The Inside Out Project comprises both ‘outside students,’ who are second- and third-year BA students from the Department of Sociology & Criminology at UCC, and ‘inside students,’ who are students from the Cork Prison ETB Education Unit.

This project is designed to break barriers and prejudices, offering all students a unique opportunity to study together as peers behind prison walls.

Unheard by Most

Doors slamming, alarms beeping, keys clanking….. doors slamming.

Unheard by most, yet our everyday soundtrack. This unique soundscape, crafted by students and their teacher at the Cork Prison Education Unit, captures the essence of life within the prison walls. Recorded inside the prison, the piece offers a glimpse into the daily auditory experience of the student. The students believe this soundscape provides an authentic insight into the distinctive sounds of prison life.

The general theme progressing through the textiles and ceramics component of the exhibition is based on our relationship with the sea. Ideas were nurtured by looking closely at Ernst Haeckel’s weird and wonderful world of creatures and his rendering of natural geometric structures. Working with Visual Thinking Strategies, the UCC Artists and The Sea series of lectures delivered by Dr James Cronin, the conversation delved into the world of Environmental Art and Climate Change.
The integration of ceramics and textiles was cultivated through a collective group project and is the consummation of a year’s parlance with artistic discourse.
This cell displays work by the Ceramic, Textile and Pyrography class in Cork prison. Each piece has been worked on by a number of students to promote a sense of community and collaboration through group work.

‘Artists and the Sea’

The creative expressions you experience in this exhibition are the fruits of learning through dialogue with students in Cork prison who participated in a short course, facilitated by University College Cork, entitled: “Artists and the Sea”. This six-week course explored the different ways in which artists chose to make use of the sea in their works.
The sea is used to evoke a full spectrum of human emotions: peace, optimism, adventure, fear and grief. Some depictions are hyper-real, while others simply suggest the flick of a brushstroke.
Artists often illustrate humanity’s use of the sea and what that represents; from the labours of fishing communities through to the vessels upon which journeys began, conflicts took place and lands were discovered or abandoned.
There is one theme, though, that appears universal; the sea’s vast and unknown nature means it will never be fully tamed or understood.

Dr James Cronin | Course facilitator
University College Cork

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‘Sceal Scaol’

As you enter the cell you are drawn to an embroidered life jacket decorated with text, drawings and textures. Inspired by a workshop facilitated by Max Porter as part of Sounds From A Safe Harbour and delivered to the women of the Dillons Cross Project, it unravels fragments from their life stories.

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‘The Home Project’

Advancing with narrative, the house embellished with pyrographic script exposes the subject of homelessness, displacement and destruction of the home. Inspired by various nationalities in the prison it brings together the universal meaning of home.