Sky over Cork Harbour set to light up for Spike Island celebrations 

The handover of Spike Island from Britain to Ireland is to be commemorated with a fireworks display which will light up the sky over the former Cork harbour prison, it has been announced.

The display takes place on June 1, earlier than usual, as the celebration of the historic handover is being combined this year with the launch of the destination’s summer season.

Visitors to the island on that evening are promised captivating entertainment, live music, and family-friendly activities, all culminating in the breathtaking fireworks display that has become a standout feature of Cork’s events calendar.

Organisers have suggested that the event promises an “evening to remember for guests of all ages whether you’re a returning visitor or experiencing the magic of Spike Island for the first time”.

Treaty ports

While Ireland — apart from the six north eastern counties which remained under British rule — secured independence from Britain in 1921, there were other conditions in the Treaty which meant Britain retained the ‘Treaty ports’: Bere Island, Lough Swilly, and Spike Island. These were not handed back until 1938.

According to the Spike Island website, it was felt that the island was far from the protection of the British Royal Air Force and it would have made an easy target for the German Luftwaffe. It also came to light that Cobh and Cork harbour were included in an invasion plan of Ireland called ‘Operation Green’. If this plan had been implemented, it would have seen fast moving launches quickly land 10,000 soldiers in Ireland and it is thought that had Spike Island remained a British outpost, this would have increased the justification for such an invasion.

Over its 1300 year history, Spike Island has hosted a monastic settlement, a Cromwellian prison, a British military fort, and an Irish prison. Between 1985 and 2004, it functioned as a ‘young offenders prison’. In that period it housed the infamous Dublin criminal Martin Cahill.