Minister confirms early plans to use former Cork prison site for new jail expansion

Proposal to extend Cork Prison onto former jail site emerges amid overcrowding concerns and criticism over decade-long vacancy

The former Cork prison closed in 2017. Picture: Larry Cummins

Using the former Cork prison as an extension to the current facility is “at a very early planning stage”, according to the justice minister.

The Government has come under fire for letting the site on Rathmore Road on Cork's northside vacant for almost a decade, with Labour councillor John Maher saying it was a prime piece of State-owned real estate which could have been developed for residential, recreational, or tourism purposes.

The former prison closed in 2017 with the opening of a purpose-built 296-bed capacity jail nearby.

Irish Prison Service figures show 416 inmates were in that prison on Thursday, of which 105 were on mattresses. The entire prison service was operating at 24% above capacity, with 5,850 inmates in total. Some 583 of those were on mattresses.

Responding to Fine Gael Cork North Central TD, Colm Burke, justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said plans to deliver 1,500 new prison spaces over the next five years included “a large extension to the existing Cork Prison on the site of the old decommissioned Cork prison”.

He said the proposal “is still at a very early planning stage”.

He claimed it “will not be a second prison in The Glen area” but said "there will be more engagement as part of the planning process" as it progresses.

Mr Maher said there had been no engagement with locals. Mr Burke said Cork Business Association raised concerns last week about properties being left vacant.

“Yet here is the State with a property left vacant. My view is that if we want to do something, we should just get on with it.” 

Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould said the area was a residential one “with a large prison already in it” and "shouldn’t have to put up with a second one”.