Spookscreen at Spike Island
Saturday 10th September
Panel discussion and Q&A with special guests
Screening of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
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Spookscreen at Spike Island
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Spike Island Literary Festival
The inaugural SPIKE ISLAND LITERARY FESTIVAL is now on sale for the weekend of 02nd–04th September 2022! Sponsored by Cork County Council, Commodore Hotel, Bella Vista Hotel, Trigon Hotels, Fota Island Resort and Belvelly Castle. Dedicated to the popular theme of crime writing, visit an island location perfect for inspiring writers, with a dark history of four prisons over 400 years that has inspired many books. Lucky attendees can further their knowledge and writing skills with a series of author talks and workshops, suited to all genres and storytellers.
Every visitor will also enjoy very special access to all areas, with a ‘writers tour’ on arrival, which will focus on the criminals and crimes associated with this historic island. Join us for an unbelievable deep dive into writing and the art of storytelling, at Ireland’s historic island.
You can choose from several great event formats:
Author speaking events – Where authors share their experience and advice in a relaxed setting, inspiring budding authors to achieve their goals. Includes a special tour on arrival.
Crime writing workshop – Join seasoned published author Kevin Doyle for a deep dive into writing in this exciting genre. Small class size and includes a tour on arrival. Expect practical, applicable tips.
Screenwriting workshop – Writing for the screen has its own challenges, but incredible rewards! Learn the secrets at this insightful afternoon in small group size with Philip Davison, and see your name on the small or big screen one day!
Meet the publisher – Submit your synopsis and opening chapter in advance and receive advice from the people who really matter – the professionals who will decide if your book is published. Get time with highly experienced industry experts from the esteemed, Liberties Press – Small group size and tour included in this afternoon visit. Take that all-important step to being published.
Author readings – Sit in as some world-class writers perform readings in incredible locations like prison cells and artillery gun parks! Enjoy a very special ‘Behind the Scenes’ tour that focused on our writers and criminals that inspired books, and hear from the likes of Cónal Creedon, Philip Davison, Catherine Kirwan and more. Going on sale at the end of June.
02 SEPTEMBER – FRIDAY | EVENING | GRAND OPENING !!
PJ Coogan to open & interview Alex Barclay & Liz Nugent
A fantastic evening on Spike Island with renowned authors Alex Barclay and Liz Nugent interviewed by broadcaster PJ Coogan.
On arrival, visitors will be given a guided tour with a focus on a murder mystery and the darker tales of Spike Island. On arrival at the Fortress itself, there will be time to enjoy a tea/coffee before the event begins.
This will be an intimate event with limited numbers in attendance. A unique opportunity to get such an insight into the minds of two of Ireland’s foremost thriller writers.
03 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY | Afternoon
EVENT – Meet the publisher – Liberties Press
A rare opportunity to meet face to face with one of Ireland’s most renowned publishing houses, Liberties Press. Receive feedback on your work and tips on how to make your work stand out to publishers.
On arrival, visitors will be given a guided tour with a focus on a murder mystery and the darker tales of Spike Island. On arrival at the Fortress itself, there will be time to enjoy a tea/coffee before the event begins.
Attendees will be invited to submit a synopsis & opening chapter of their work in progress to sean@libertiespress.com in advance of the festival and he will give feedback anonymously on the day. Anyone submitting should put “Spike Island Submission” in the subject line. Please do not submit work if you have not bought a ticket.
03 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY | Afternoon
Screenwriting workshop with Philip Davison (12 people max)
A fantastic afternoon on Spike Island with renowned author Phillip Davison giving an intimate screenwriting workshop
On arrival, visitors will be given a guided tour with a focus on a murder mystery and the darker tales of Spike Island. On arrival at the Fortress itself, there will be time to enjoy a tea/coffee before the event begins.
This will be an intimate event with limited numbers in attendance. A unique opportunity to get such an insight into the mind and writing methods of one of Ireland’s foremost writers.
03 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY | Evening
Headline – John Connolly & Mark Billingham
A fantastic evening on Spike Island with renowned authors John Connolly & Mark Billingham in conversation.
On arrival, visitors will be given a guided tour with a focus on a murder mystery and the darker tales of Spike Island. On arrival at the Fortress itself, there will be time to enjoy a tea/coffee before the event begins.
This will be an intimate event with limited numbers in attendance. A unique opportunity to meet two of Ireland and England’s foremost thriller writers
04 SEPTEMBER – SUNDAY | Afternoon
Crime writing workshop with Kevin Doyle
A fantastic afternoon on Spike Island with renowned author Kevin Doyle giving an intimate crime writing workshop.
On arrival, visitors will be given a guided tour with a focus on a murder mystery and the darker tales of Spike Island. On arrival at the Fortress itself, there will be time to enjoy a tea/coffee before the event begins.
This will be an intimate event with limited numbers in attendance. A unique opportunity to get such an insight into the mind and writing methods of one of Ireland’s foremost thriller writers.
04 SEPTEMBER – SUNDAY | Evening
Michelle Dunne & Andrea Mara
A fantastic evening on Spike Island with renowned authors Michelle Dunne & Andrea Mara interviewed by broadcaster PJ Coogan.
On arrival, visitors will be given a guided tour with a focus on a murder mystery and the darker tales of Spike Island. On arrival at the Fortress itself, there will be time to enjoy a tea/coffee before the event begins.
SATURDAY 03rd & SUNDAY 04th – 12.30pm
Join us on this very special literary visit for a ‘Behind the Scenes’ tour followed by readings from authors in unique areas. Once you step off the 12.30 pm ferry your guide will share the unbelievable tales of our murderers and notorious criminals. Many have inspired writers to put pen to paper, and we will discuss the resulting books. Then we head underground through the Spike Island tunnels, where prisoners were held in the 1800s. Normally off-limits to day tours, see a side of the island normally never seen. Then join amazing authors for readings in incredible settings, like prison cells, artillery gun parks and more. Tour and reading complete, you are free to explore the rest of our amazing island!
Saturday – 12.30 sailing
Reading 1 – Catherine Kirwan
Reading 2 – Amy Cronin
Reading 3 – Tadgh Coakley
Sunday – 12.30 sailing
Reading 1 – Philip Davison
Reading 2 – Cónal Creedon
About the Authors
Alex Barclay
Alex’s first two crime novels feature NYPD homicide detective, Joe Lucchesi, and the six novels that followed feature bipolar FBI agent, Ren Bryce. She also writes for screen and is currently developing an original crime series for television. Alex was born in Dublin, and lives on the Beara peninsula in Cork, where she’s set two of her most recent books – the psychological thriller, I Confess, and her debut novel for teens, My Heart and Other Breakables, published in 2022 by Harper Collins. Also In 2022, her YA crime debut, Rock Paper Killers, was published by Simon & Schuster under the pseudonym Alexia Mason
Find out more at harpercollins.co.uk/blogs/authors/alex-barclay
Mark Billingham
Mark is an Actor, television writer, comedian and international bestselling author of the Tom Thorne series. With nineteen books in the series, the first two became a six-part TV series, Thorne which originally aired on Sky One.
Find out more at uk.markbillingham.com
Tadhg Coakley
is from Mallow and lives in Cork city. His debut novel The First Sunday in September (2018) was shortlisted for the Mercier Press Fiction Prize. Whatever It Takes was chosen as the 2020 Cork, One City One Book. Everything (a sports autobiography, which he co-wrote with its subject, Denis Coughlan) was picked as one of the 2020 sports books of the year in The Sunday Times, The Irish Examiner and The Irish Times. The Game: A Journey into the Heart of Sport (2022) was described by Donal Ryan as a ‘towering work’. Tadhg’s short stories, articles and essays have been widely published.
Find out more at www.tadhgcoakley.ie
John Connolly
John ConnollyInternational bestselling author of 30+ books, including the Charlie Parker novels, The Book Of Lost Things, the Samuel Johnson Adventures and more.
Find out more at www.johnconnollybooks.com
Cónal Creedon
Cónal Creedonis an award-winning novelist, playwright and documentary filmmaker.
Find out more at www.conalcreedon.com
Amy Cronin
is a writer from Cork, Ireland. She is a fan of thrillers and crime novels, and her love of suspense and plot twists flows into her writing. Blinding Lies is Amy’s debut novel and is the first part of a trilogy. It is available online and in paperback in all good bookshops. It was a #1 bestseller in the Amazon Northern Irish Crime category, and #7 in the online Irish Crime category, as well as a WHSmith bestseller. The follow-up, Twisted Truth, is available now online and the paperback will be available in bookshops soon.
Find out more at www.amycroninauthor.com
Philip Davison
Philip Davisonhas been described by Bob Geldof as “Ireland’s best-kept secret”; his work has been compared by the Irish Independent with that of John le Carré and Graham Greene. His most recent novels are Quiet City and Eureka Dunes, both published by Liberties Press. A TV adaptation of his novel The Crooked Man, starring Ross Kemp, was broadcast on ITV. He has written twelve plays for radio and has co-written two television dramas, Exposure and Criminal Conversation, and Learning Gravity, a documentary film on poet and undertaker Thomas Lynch. His play The Invisible Mending Company was performed on the Abbey Theatre’s Peacock stage.
Find out more at www.philipdavison.com
Kevin Doyle
Kevin Doyleis the author of two novels, To Keep A Bird Singing and A River Of Bodies. He co-wrote (with Spark Deeley) the illustrated children’s book, The Worms that Saved the World. A widely experienced creative writing teacher he is currently chairperson of the Irish Writers Union.
Find out more at www.kevindoyle.ie
Michelle Dunne
Michelle Dunneis a writer from Cobh who has used some of her own experiences in the Irish Army and as a UN Peacekeeper to write her debut thriller, the first in the Lindsey Ryan series, While Nobody Is Watching which is currently in development for television. Her follow-up book, The Invisible was published in April 2022.
Find out more at www.michelledunnebooks.com
Catherine Kirwan
Catherine Kirwangrew up on a farm in the parish of Fews, County Waterford. She studied law at UCC and lives in Cork where she works as a solicitor. Her first novel, Darkest Truth, was chosen as Cork’s One City One Book by Cork City Libraries in 2019. Her current book, Cruel Deeds, is out now from Hachette Ireland.
Find out more at Penguin Books
Andrea Mara
Andrea Marais a Sunday Times and Irish Times Top Ten bestselling author, who has been shortlisted for several awards, including Irish Crime Novel of the Year at the An Post Book Awards. Her most recent novel, All Her Fault, was Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month, a top ten bestseller in the UK and Ireland, and a Kindle Top 5 bestseller. She lives in Dublin, Ireland, with her husband and three children, and also runs a multi-award-winning parent and lifestyle blog, OfficeMum.ie. Her new crime novel, Hide And Seek, will be published in August 2022.
Find out more at officemum.ie
Liz Nugent
Liz Nugentis a writer of award-winning psychological suspense novels Unravelling Oliver (2014), Lying in Wait (2016), Skin Deep (2018) and Our Little Cruelties (2020). All four books topped the Irish bestsellers list and Liz has won multiple literary awards. Her books have also been optioned for screen adaptations. Liz’s books have been translated into 16 languages and she has also written extensively for radio and television in drama and animation. In October 2017, Liz won the Irish Woman of the Year Award for Literature and in February 2021, she was awarded the James Joyce medal by the Literary Historical Society of UCD.
Find out more at www.liznugent.ie
Sponsors:
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Culture Night 2022
‘Sound at Sea’
Celebrate Culture Night 2022 on a unique island location.
On Friday 23rd September, Spike Island will join the nationwide celebrations by offering visitors a free guided tour of the historic island and fortress where they will discover over 1300 years of Irish history. Once within the fort walls, the audience will be treated to a vibrant music performance by Cobh-based musicians, Violini Duo on the steps of the charming Mitchel Hall building.
Venue: Spike Island
Departure: Kennedy Pier, Cobh
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
#CultureNight #OícheChultúir
@CultureNightCorkCounty
@CultureNight is brought to you by @ArtsCouncilIreland in partnership with @CorkCountyCouncil
https://culturenightcorkcounty.ie/
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Strictly Cash
SPIKE ISLAND are proud to present STRICTLY CASH, the world’s premier Johnny Cash tribute band who have brought their professional and distinct quality all over the world. Marking over 50 years since the infamous Folsom prison gig, STRICTLY CASH will be together again on Cork’s own Alcatraz, Fort Mitchell, Spike Island. Expect a fitting tribute to the Man in Black and that legendary concert at California’s notorious Folsom Prison, on Ireland’s most famous prison island.
This will be a night to remember in a great location, with time to see the prison cells prior to the show, and the first arriving boat getting a short tour. So join us, limited seats on the boat!
Celebrating Independence day, 2022!
On July 17th 2022 a fireworks display will light up Spike Island and Cork Harbour, as we celebrate our Independence day on the island. It was July 11th 1938 that Spike Island was eventually handed from British to Irish control, a huge seventeen years after Irish Independence. The islands fort and strategic setting were considered so important by the British, they insisted on keeping the location as part of the Cork Harbour forts, and other treaty ports in Berehaven and Lough Swilly. It took seventeen years and fierce negotiation during a trade war between Ireland and Britain to secure Spike Island’s return in 1938, just in time to save the remote outpost from German bombers and certain destruction.
Fireworks, festivities and family fun.
Spike Island celebrates the momentous occasion of the handover from Britain to Ireland with a special night of entertainment. You can hop on the ferry for the short 12 minute ferry crossing, where a guide will meet you to take you on a special history tour. We share the rich story of the handover in detail, and our incredible 1300 years of Irish history.
Visitors can then enjoy our several museums and exhibitions, and enjoy scenic walks around our beautiful natural island. In the fort see the 1850’s punishment block, the modern prison cells, our Cork Harbour interactive space, the Independence exhibition and more.
Discover on the outer island the abandoned village, the convict cemetery, the old beautiful beaches with harbour town views and amazing nature and wildlife.
On this special night, you can enjoy performances by various musicians in pop up locations, face painting for kids, additional guided elements and of course the amazing fireworks display at the end. Over 1300 fireworks will light the sky, a tribute to the each of the 1300 convicts who never left the confines of our harsh Victorian and Modern prisons.
Learn more – 1938 handover.
- Learn more about this momentous event here – https://www.spikeislandcork.ie/independence-day-1938/
- Book tickets to this amazing event here – https://spikeislandcork.digitickets.co.uk/category/41662
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Imprisoning a nation
2021 marks the centenary of the use of the fort on Spike Island as a British-military-run prison for Republican prisoners and internees. Between February and November 1921 almost 1200 Republicans were imprisoned on Spike Island. This exhibition is the result of over a decade of extensive research undertaken by the heritage team on Spike Island.
‘IMPRISONING A NATION’ features among others original letters, newspaper clippings, hand-written correspondence between the prisoners and internees and their family members as well as official documents issued by the British forces in 1921. Approximately one hundred and forty photographs were collected over a period of ten years. The autograph books containing signatures of those imprisoned on Spike Island during 1921 are especially remarkable.
All these distinctive artefacts reflect the struggle for Irish Independence and depict a unique link between the prisoners and Spike Island. We on Spike Island are proud and excited to bring this fascinating part of the island’s past and important chapter in Irish history to life and to be able to share it with you, our visitors.
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‘Story’
‘Story’ is an exhibition reflecting on memory and circumstance. Each Artwork features a personal narrative reminiscing on anecdotes and memoirs. The work extends from the ghostlike anonymity of portraits symbolizing invisibility and absence of identity, to the haunting inner monologue caught in a cycle of repetition and the effort to untangle.
The Artworks depict intimate accounts from one seminal event, consumed with rebellion that influenced a lifetime of crime, to the childhood memories that form a conduit for escapism channelling the imagination into a brighter world. ‘Story’ is a selection of work curated by the Education Unit in Cork Prison designed to give agency to the student’s narrative through memory and reflection.
These are their stories……
“
My paintings are stories about memories and places I grew up around as a child. I still fish there when I get a chance, nothing much has changed only that it is all overgrown now. I love going to those places because it takes me away from the city and into Nature, I feel relaxed and at peace when I am there. All my Paintings are from memory, they tell stories about my childhood and my visits as an adult. When I’m painting, I can imagine things that I would like to see there. I often use bright colours to enhance the mood of the picture as they are my expression of the natural world.
“
Spike Island was home to hundreds of prisoners in the 1980s, most of whom were incarcerated for stealing cars and generating the joyriding epidemic in Cork and Dublin. My peers, the youth at the time, were inspired by stories of gangsterism and one crimelord in particular ‘The General’, who ridiculed and taunted the authorities any chance he got. The housing of groups of young fellas from socially deprived areas with blatant disregard for law and order was a recipe for disaster. We did not really comprehend the significance of our actions or the extent of damage that we would ultimately cause. That period of my life and that incident in particular would prove to have a detrimental effect on achieving any normal life. For a long time I would only understand and partake in rebellious behaviour, vandalism and a life in crime. So, I spent many years in Prison. My pots express my experience of the riots on Spike and are my stories of rebellion, violence, vandalism and total anarchy.
Luckily, no one died.
LISTOWEL WRITERS IN PRISON
Category: POETRY: GETTING STARTED
Result: 1st Place
The Listowel Writers in Prison Competition is an eagerly anticipated event on the Education Unit calendar every year. Having previously achieved second place in the Short Story category in 2020 this student attended the Creative Writing class in the Education Unit and began his journey into poetry writing. A natural writer with great aptitude he produced three pieces and achieved 1st place this year with his Sestina “Untangling”.
“Untangling”
My mind is swirling
Contemplating the repeating.
The day is all the same.
It is ultimately mind numbing.
Hour by hour constantly continuing
to try and find differences.
Are there any differences?
So I now sit here swirling.
All the time continuing
at all of the repeating.
The relentless constant numbing
Why are the days the same?
How is it they’re the same?
And that there are no differences
Trying to release this numbing
Untangle this swirling
To iron out this repeating
that keeps on continuing.
Thinking always continuing.
Thoughts the same.
Thinking about the repeating.
Working out the differences.
Still there is swirling
and uncontrollable numbing
What is the numbing?
Is it continuing?
The untangling of the swirling.
It is in fact not the same
that there are some differences.
Is it really? Repeating.
No! There is no repeating.
Getting feeling where there was numbing.
Finding in the day, there are some differences.
Realizing in my continuing,
that nothing is the same
and now I’ve stopped swirling.
From my swirling, that it’s not the repeating
or it being the same that causes the numbing
but the continuing and finding of differences.
by: PH
This stained-glass window was produced in the Education Unit in Cork Prison with the support of The Arts Council and the Visual Artists in Prisons Scheme. It was facilitated by the artist in residence Debbie Dawson in 2018.
Education is collaboratively delivered in Irish Prisons through the Irish Prison Service and the Education and Training Boards. There has been an ongoing association between the Education Unit and Spike Island for many years.
The Education Unit Cork Prison has been exhibiting on Spike Island on an annual basis since 2012. Some of our students in Cork Prison who worked on this panel had been incarcerated on the island.
The Education Unit presented this artwork to Spike in 2018 to commemorate this continuing partnership. This stained-glass window is currently on permanent display in one of the 1990s prison cells on Spike Island.
To find out more about the Education Unit Cork Prison visit: https://www.corketb.ie/about-cork-etb/further-education-training-f-e-t/education-service-cork-prison/ https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/play/?pid=6310075341112&title=Nuacht%20TG4&series=Nuacht%20TG4&genre=Cursai%20Reatha&pcode=627182
Join us on Saturday 28th May for a fascinating history tour that remembers the tragic shooting of Patrick White, who was shot while playing hurling. The young IRA Captain from Meelick, County Clare was held on Spike Island for his activity in the Irish War of Independence, along with 1200 Irish Republicans in 1921. They were from every county in the Martial Law Area – Cork, Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Kerry, Waterford, Wexford, and Kilkenny. Our ‘Independence’ exhibition on Spike Island tells their story.
On this walking history tour, you will access the original 1921 Spike Island prison, which is normally off limits to regular visitors. Visitors will hear the full story of the 1921 prison, including its escapes, riots, and hunger strikes. We will also focus on the tragic killing of Patrick White, who was shot while playing hurling with his comrades inside the fort on May 31st , 1921. Why was this spiteful act carried out? It may well have been revenge, for an earlier bombing of British troops that took place in Youghal that morning, but your tour will reveal all. Join us as we remember the 1921 prison, its inhabitants, and mark the life of a rebel who fought to free Ireland.
The tour includes guided element, access to areas normally off limits to the public, time to explore our Independence exhibition, a coffee break mid-way and the laying of a wreath and tribute to Patrick White. Limited spaces and pre-booking essential.
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Modern Captivity
When museums, galleries, and cultural institutions were forced to close abruptly in March 2020, many art events had to be cancelled. The pandemic has not been easy for anyone and the art and culture sector has suffered considerably. Therefore, Spike Island was delighted to host an art exhibition ‘Modern Captivity’ by Maria O’Sullivan in August 2020.
‘Modern Captivity’ refers to the various forms captivity can take; both physical and psychological. The feeling of entrapment threads throughout the artwork, often using a constant transformation as a narrative to reference the imposing nature of modern society and its isolating effect. Social isolation is more present nowadays than ever before and can have significant consequences for people and communities across the globe.
Each composition shows structures and scenes shifting into something new. Irregular textures and strokes are used to build detailed representations of the increasingly abstract and restless world we inhabit. A large part of what determines the direction of Maria’s work is the artist’s intuition. Focusing on solitude, introspection and the nostalgic exploration of time and place, Maria often uses a variety of techniques and mixed media to examine the history of architecture and the transformation of space over time.
‘Modern Captivity’ is Maria’s first solo exhibition.
Maria O’ Sullivan was born in Cobh, Co Cork Ireland in 1990. She graduated with an Honours degree in Fine Art from Crawford College of Art and Design in June 2014.
From the Degree Show she was selected to exhibit in several group exhibitions, including the annual Fledglings exhibition in the Lavit Gallery Cork, The Joan Clancy Gallery in Dungarvan, and the Emerging Artists Exhibition in St. Patrick’s Hospital, Dublin.
Maria was also awarded a three-month residency with Scuola Internazionale di Grafica in Venice where she spent time developing her practice. In 2015 her work was represented by the Doorway Gallery in Dublin and the Agora Gallery in Chelsea, NYC where she first exhibited her Urban Series.
Since 2018, her artwork has been exhibited in the Doorway Gallery Dublin, Cork Airport, and the Half Light Gallery in Middleton. She has also worked with St. Aloysius School in Cork to create a body of work for the ‘Future Forms’ Exhibition in the Glucksman Gallery, UCC, March 2019.
Maria’s work is collected both nationally and internationally.
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The Trial
The Trial is a multi-screen visual art installation on the history of healthcare and human rights in the Irish criminal justice system. Created by visual artist Sinead McCann, made in collaboration with men from the Bridge Project, Dublin, who have lived prison experiences, and draws from historical research by UCD historians Catherine Cox and Fiachra Byrne. It is part of a larger Wellcome Trust funded research project ‘Prisoners, Medical Care and Entitlement to Health in England and Ireland, 1850-2000’.
For twenty-two minutes, three characters–Tommy, Charlie and Neilí–tell real-life stories of those who were held or worked in Irish penal institutions during the 19th and 20th centuries. The thematic focus is on experiences of solitary confinement, dealing with separation from family when in prison, mental and physical wellbeing in prison and childhood experiences of detention in St Patrick’s Institution, Dublin.
The making of The Trial involved the design of a creative process that enabled the men from the Bridge Project to engage with UCD academic research on healthcare in prison, past and present. The script for The Trial was developed through a series of creative workshops using carefully selected historic research and the men’s own health in prison experience. Two case studies from the 1880s, John Burns and John Burke resonated strongly with the men and were developed into mini scripts.
Actors Tommy O’Neill and Neilí Conroy then performed these scripts in a series of theatre workshops led by the men from the Bridge Project. During this process, the men authored monologues using their own experience of healthcare in Irish prison in the late 20th century as well as their responses to the historic research. Their monologues were incorporated into the script for The Trial along with responses from the Irish Prison Service, a prison chaplain, an addiction councellor, two former prison governors and a representative from the Irish Penal Reform Trust. Combined, these accounts present a compelling story of healthcare in prison.
In 1847, the Shell Store where The Trial is exhibited was first a prison hospital. Then it was converted into a juvenile prison that held up to 100 boys. The Trial makes explicit use of this history to physically and poetically reference healthcare in prison over time.
Director Dr Sinead McCann
Script Writer Sarah Meaney
Video production Mary Caffrey and Dan Monk Sixbetween
