‘Premature’ to talk about fate of old Cork Prison, says justice minister

Jim O’Callaghan, the justice minister, has said it would be premature to comment on the plans for the old Cork Prison, given the proposal to put the building on the council’s protected-structures register.

Cork City Councillors last month voted unanimously to add the 220-year-old former jail to the Register of Protected Structures to stop plans by the State to demolish the historic building and construct a new prison in its place.

The protected-structure process is set to take until the end of March, and Taoiseach Micheál Martin recently told The Echo there was “no guarantee” the building wouldn’t be demolished before then.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke, Independent Ireland’s Ken O’Flynn, and Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould all recently put questions to Mr O’Callaghan about the prison, including the cost of the proposed plans.

Mr O’Callaghan said that the project is “still at an early planning stage”, but that “demolition consultancy services have been appointed and preparations for demolition are progressing”.

He said: “The Irish Prison Service is awaiting tender outcomes to inform a final decision, with project completion currently targeted for 2031.”

However, he added: “I am also aware that a proposal has been made in relation to the protected-structure status of the Old Cork Prison.

“Consequently, it would be premature for me to comment on the implications of any potential designation or on any future plans relating to the site until that process concludes.

“Any decisions regarding the future of the Old Cork Prison will be considered in light of the outcome of relevant processes.”