In this episode we see how burial grounds on Spike island have revealed a truly harsh period in Irish history.

The Punishment block, now called the Mitchell block, is the only purpose built building in the prison complex on Spike island and gives a horrifying insight into how debtors were treated in prisons, given Ireland's circumstances today!)

In this episode we get a fascinating lived experience into what it is like to be an archaeologist living and working on the island.

In the second episode we get an understanding of the prisoner classification system and see how the remnants of a letter suggesting that authorities payed off political prisoners to go into exile rather then let them die, lest they become martyrs.

In the opening episode we find out how the idea for this innovative excavation project emerged and how it has allowed us to gain some understanding of the daily life of a convict, the role of religious objects in that life and the hopes that sustained convicts in hopeless surroundings.