Come join the staff of Spike Island to hear personal tales.
Local folklore of the hauntings of Spike Island.
Explore the dark tunnels,
The Punishment block,
And the abandoned cells, where we will see if we can make contact with the other side.
Whether you believe or not, Spike Island could leave you questioning the other side.
The hugely popular Spike Island Fireworks Spectacular is set to return with a bang on Saturday, 18 July, lighting up the sky over Cork Harbour for an unforgettable night of celebration. This annual event celebrates our Independence Day – the anniversary of the historic handover of Spike Island from Britain to Ireland in 1938.
Visitors will enjoy an evening of captivating entertainment, live music, pop-up circus performances and family-friendly activities, all leading up to the spectacular fireworks display that has become a highlight of the Cork events calendar.
Whether you’re a returning visitor or experiencing the magic of Spike Island for the first time, this is an event not to be missed. Join us for what promises to be an unforgettable experience at Ireland’s infamous prison island – secure your tickets now!
To facilitate the smooth flow of the event, boats will begin to depart from Cobh at 5pm. Early arrivals will have ample time to enjoy all that the island has to offer and will also be among the first to depart the island after the event concludes. The fireworks display will take place after sunset and return boats will commence thereafter.
Tickets are on sale now and advance booking is essential for this event.
In Liberated Paradox, Thomas Hendy explores freedom as a contradiction rather than a certainty. The work is shaped by personal experience — growing up in a chaotic but creative household, resisting imposed systems and later living on the margins through addiction, homelessness and imprisonment.
These experiences challenged the idea of freedom as something society promises but rarely delivers. In contrast, moments of isolation and survival often revealed a different kind of freedom, one rooted in thought rather than circumstance.
Through graphite drawing and symbolic imagery, Hendy reflects these tensions and questions where freedom truly exists.
Thomas is an award-winning, self-taught artist based in Kells, County Meath.
Working primarily in rich, matt graphite, his practice centres on highly detailed drawing informed by lived experience. Through a meticulous and intuitive process, Hendy gives visual voice to emotional and psychological states that language often fails to convey.
His work explores themes of addiction, control and survival. It traces a journey from a past shaped by dependency, homelessness and incarceration to a present defined by resilience and renewal. Motivated by the narratives embedded within each piece, Hendy amplifies voices from the margins of society, inviting viewers to reconsider perceptions of addiction, mental health and economic struggle.
