Documentary series to provide insight into history of Spike Island

A documentary series which gives a unique insight into the brutal regime on what was once one of Europe’s largest penal colonies will premiere on irishexaminer.com today.

In the first collaboration of its kind between the Irish Examiner and University College Cork, the five-part series which is being hosted on our website, charts a major archaeological research project which was conducted on Spike Island in Cork Harbour earlier this year.

The Spike Island Archaeological Project focused on the brutal 36-year period in the late 19th century, from 1847 until 1883, when Spike was used as a prison for convicts bound for the penal colonies of Australia, Bermuda and beyond.