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Investigation after TikTok video posted showing ‘unlawful entry’ to former Cork Prison site

Irish Prison Service says consultants assessing facility, which closed in 2016, with view to providing feasibility report into site’s future

The Irish Prison service said 'members of the public are advised not to attempt to enter' the former Cork Prison site for safety reasons. Photograph: Alan Betson
Olivia Kelleher
Thu Sept 05 2024 - 14:40

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) has said it is aware of an incident of “unlawful entry” at the site of the former Cork Prison and is assisting An Garda Síochána’s enquiries into the matter.

In a video posted on TikTok, a man is seen filming a walk around the prison which he describes as being one of the best abandoned facilities of its type he has ever seen.

The operator of the social media account behind the post regularly visits derelict buildings. The prison, originally built as a detention unit by the British army in 1806 as part of its Victoria Barracks, closed in 2016.

In a statement, the IPS said it “takes the security of all facilities within the prison estate very seriously”, but it does not comment on security or operational matters.

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“Members of the public are advised not to attempt to enter the former prison for safety reasons. All such instances will be reported to gardaí,” it said.

In relation to the future of the former prison, the IPS said engineering consultants are assessing the facility with a view to providing a feasibility report on the site’s future use. It will then consider the options for its “potential short, medium and long term use”.

It emphasised that the prison was in poor condition when it closed, noting that concerns were raised in multiple reports from the Inspector of Prisons and the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture.

The IPS said a 2012 feasibility study highlighted “serious deficiencies” around the physical conditions of the facility and that “significant health and safety concerns” resulted in its closure and the construction of a new prison on nearby Rathmore Road, which opened in 2016.