US sailors lend a hand at Spike Island

Plans to turn Spike Island into an Alcatraz-style attraction would certainly prove a magnet for Irish-Americans, according to US sailors who visited the historic site yesterday.

Around 25 personnel from the Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf volunteered to carry out work on the island to help the initiative by Cork County Council and local tourism groups.

Ensign John Stevens, an electrical officer on the warship, said he was very impressed with Spike Island’s potential.