Taoiseach in favour of reopening part of former Cork prison for inmates 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he favours reopening at least part of the old Cork Prison for prisoner accommodation.

Last month, justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said he believed the former prison site, which has been idle for nine years, should be used to help address overcrowding in Cork Prison.

In an exclusive interview with The Echo this week, Mr Martin said he would be supportive of Mr O’Callaghan’s position: “We need more places urgently, it is a big challenge, and I think there might be options there in [the former] Cork Prison, whatever is feasible.

“The minister will come to Government with a plan for expansion of prison places, and Cork Prison will feature in that, in my view.”

Proposals

He added he anticipated there would be firm proposals, which would take into account the need to update facilities in the former prison site. Mr Martin said he also believed The Glen needed “other facilities, other amenities, and other developments”.

As of yesterday, there were 338 people in Cork Prison, which has 296 beds, meaning it was operating at 115% capacity — with 44 prisoners sleeping on mattresses.

On February 4, Cork Prison had a record 372 people in custody, with 76 people without proper beds.

At Monday’s meeting of Cork City Council, a motion by Sinn Féin councillor Michelle Gould that the council write to Mr O’Callaghan opposing the reopening of the old prison was passed unanimously.

Ms Gould said that in 2016, when the new prison opened, commitments had been given by the Government and the Irish Prison Service that the old prison would be transformed for the community.

Promise

Those commitments, she said, included a promise that it would not reopen as a prison, and instead would be used as an education centre, museum, youth café, or other community initiative.

“We all know Cork is a very big place. If a second prison is so badly needed, I’d suggest pick a place, not on the northside, due to the obvious fact that we already house a prison,” Ms Gould said.

Labour’s John Maher said he lived beside the prison and agreed it should not be reopened, adding that “the community were let down” when the new prison was built.

He appealed to councillors in Government parties to “please bring your ministers and TDs down to talk to the people living in the area, because this is not wanted”.

'Nonsensical'

Fine Gael’s Shane O’Callaghan said the proposal to reopen the old prison was “nonsensical”, as “the reason why that prison closed down is because it wasn’t fit for purpose.

“It’s not actually a realistic proposal.”

Fianna Fáil’s Tony Fitzgerald also supported the motion, saying: “I certainly agree that when this prison was being closed down, there was commitment given to the residents in the area, and I think we should follow on with that commitment”.

He added that new housing developments in the area are under way, saying “for the young people living there, to have another prison in that area would be disappointing.”