Mary Lou McDonald: Plan for Cork Prison ‘disgraceful’

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said the old Cork Prison building should be given back to the community instead of being demolished, as a decision is due in the coming weeks.

During a visit to Cork this week, Ms McDonald said the old Cork Prison is “steeped in our revolutionary history”, as Thomas Kent was executed there, and Cork lord mayors Tomás Mac Curtain and Terence MacSwiney were imprisoned there.

She said demolishing the building, as is planned under proposals by the Department of Justice and Irish Prison Service (IPS), would “rob the people of Cork and future generations of a piece of their heritage”.

Government must listen 

Ms McDonald said that during her visit, she met with people “who cannot use their back gardens” due to proximity to the prison and that Government “must listen to the views of these people”.

She said: “Clearly, this is the wrong site for expanded prison capacity — to ram this plan through against their wishes would be disgraceful.”

The Echo contacted the Department of Justice and the IPS asking when a decision is due on the plans, given that submissions closed almost a month ago. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said the query “should be directed to the Office of Public Works”.

An OPW spokesperson said that it “does not fall under the remit” of the OPW, advising that the question should be sent to the Department of Justice.

An IPS spokesperson said: “The process of reviewing observations to inform a decision to the planning process is currently ongoing and is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.”

Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould said: “It’s beyond insulting that the Department of Justice refuse to take any responsibility for this site. We know this proposal is coming directly from the minister — trying to pass the buck to the OPW is shocking.”