Mountjoy Prison

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Mountjoy Prison (founded as Mountjoy Gaol) is a closed medium security prison located in Phibsboro in Dublin city centre, Ireland.

It was designed by military engineer Joshua Jebb and opened in 1850. Mountjoy was originally intended as the first stop for men sentenced to transportation where they would spend a period in separate confinement and then be transferred to Spike Island before where they would be transported to Van Diemen's land.

The prison was built with in-cell sanitation but this was removed in 1939 at the instigation of a civil servant who deemed that 'prisoners were using too much water'. Convicts use chamber pots and empty milk cartons and other receptacles for 'overflow'. The Inspector-General of Prisons and Places of Detention has stated that prisoners in Mountjoy are existing in most inhumane and degrading and overcrowded conditions and that many slept on the floor in filthy conditions. he recommended that it be closed and demolished. The Inspector-General has described the attitude of the Minister towards reform as "frightening and fascist"^[1].

Some Irish leaders during the Anglo-Irish War and Irish Civil War were held there. Kevin Barry was among those executed at the prison.

On October 31, 1973 it was the scene of a spectacular escape by helicopter by three Provisional IRA prisoners, including Seamus Twomey^[2]

The current prison governor is John Lonergan.

1 Visiting Committee
2 Replacement of Mountjoy Prison
3 References
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Visiting Committee

[edit] Replacement of Mountjoy Prison

A 150-acre site has been acquired at a cost of €30 million at Thornton Hall, County Dublin on which a replacement for Mountjoy is to be constructed. The new facility will accommodate 1,200 convicts. The site will include court facilities, video-conference links, medical and therapeutic facilities ^[3]