New village in heart of capital to replace ‘the Joy’

THE planned renovation of Mountjoy Prison will be the new jewel in the crown in the heart of north Dublin.

Thousands of locals in the neighbourhood of the prison should benefit from the redevelopment of the 22-acre complex.

The country’s biggest prison is to be replaced by a modern new jail on a 150-acre site at Thornton Hall in north Dublin.

New accommodation and amenities for locals in the Phibsborough area are being planned for the redevelopment of the current, near 160-year-old prison site.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell promised the creation of a family-friendly neighbourhood as he launched the design plans, with architects and prison authorities.

The sale of ‘the Joy’, as the present prison is commonly known, is also expected to earn €200 million for the State.

“For decades, the lack of space and the poor physical infrastructure in Mountjoy prison has impacted severely on the prison system to provide even the most basic services for prison rehabilitation,” the minister said.

“We want to take this opportunity to engage with the Dublin City Council to create a new village for Dublin which will allow families to live and work in the centre of the city in a sustainable way.”

Mountjoy’s history includes the jailing of Easter Rising heroine Countess Constance Markievicz, as well as the writer Brendan Behan, members of the Land League and trade union legends Jim Larkin and James Connolly. Up to half a million prisoners are thought to have gone through its doors, explained Tim Carey, an historian charged with collecting its history before its closure. However, not only was it the place where Ireland’s rapists, murderers and robbers were incarcerated but its grounds are also home to 32 bodies buried there. These will be exhumed before the site is redeveloped.

Plans are also afoot to examine converting some of the cells into hotel rooms.

Architect Roisín Heneghan said this was already done in Stockholm and Paris and was a strong possibility in Mountjoy.

Mr McDowell yesterday also confirmed plans to move the Central Mental hospital from south Dublin to the new super prison site in north Dublin. The sale of the Dundrum site is expected for around €300m. It would save time moving psychiatric inmates between facilities, he said, adding that a portion of prisoners were treated for psychiatric conditions. Thornton Hall will be split into different security levels, according to inmate types but will also include outdoor facilities such as football pitches or athletic tracks for prisoners.