Former Cork prison could become new 300-bed facility under plan to tackle overcrowding

Micheál Martin says the former Cork prison site may be the only viable option to address urgent overcrowding

The old Victorian-era prison on Rathmore Rd closed in 2017 when inmates transferred to the new €45m purpose-built 296 bed capacity jail nearby.

The Taoiseach says there are few alternatives to reusing the former Cork prison site to provide extra prison spaces.

Micheál Martin made his comments as political opposition mounts against the proposal which came before Cabinet last week as part of a package of measures designed to ease chronic overcrowding in the prison system.

Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan wants to create 960 extra prison spaces over the next five years to tackle the serious overcrowding problem in jails, which has seen an 11% surge in inmate numbers in the last year alone, with the country's prison capacity now operating at 115%.

His plan includes demolishing the old Cork prison on the city's northside and building a new facility on the site with more than 300 jail spaces — 230 for men, and 100 for women.

The old Victorian-era prison on Rathmore Rd closed in 2017 when inmates transferred to the new €45m purpose-built 296 bed capacity jail nearby.

The new prison has seen a 25% increase in its daily "in custody" figures in the last five years. The old prison has been vacant since.

In April, the Irish Examiner first reported how Mr O’Callaghan wanted to use the old prison site to facilitate an extension of the current jail.

That prompted criticism from Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould and from Labour city councillor John Maher, who said the northside doesn’t need another jail.

But when Mr O’Callaghan’s proposals to demolish the old prison and rebuild it to provide more prison spaces were made public last week, they both promised a campaign of opposition.

'Not an easy choice'

Mr Martin said he appreciates local concerns, but he said there is huge pressure on prison spaces.

“The minister of justice is responding in the immediate short term and medium term to provide additional spaces, to make sure our criminal justice system is fit for purpose, that when people are sentenced in court, there's a prison [space] for them,” he said.

“It's not an easy choice. There are few alternatives to the minister. He's pressing ahead to provide not just in Cork but hundreds of additional places across the country.," Mr Martin added.

Cabinet also heard proposals to extend Castlerea Prison to house an extra 150 prisoners, to extend the Midlands Prison for 180 additional prisoners, to build a new block for 100 prisoners at Wheatfield, to make 150 extra spaces available at Mountjoy, and to provide another 50 spaces for female inmates at the Dóchas centre.

In April, Mr O’Callaghan said there is an overcrowding crisis in the prisons and more prison spaces are needed.

“The old Cork prison site is land that we own, and I would like to see it used for an extension of Cork prison in the future,” he said.

The Irish Prison Service said the old prison building has been unoccupied for almost eight years, is in a poor physical state and unsuitable for use in its current form.

The Irish Prison Service budget was increased by €79m, or 18%, to €525m in the 2025 budget. Its capital budget is €53m this year, up €22.5m on the original allocation, which is focused on bringing on the target of an additional 1,500 prison spaces.

Extra resources have also been provided to recruit extra prison officers and to fund 130,000 additional staff hours in the State’s prisons.