Spike Island

The Rebels, Residents & Crafty Criminals of Ireland’s Historic Island

Spike Island is the most extraordinary historical location on the island of Ireland. A monastic outpost in the Celtic Sea, a fortress built to defend an Empire, a prison established to intern a nation – the island’s remarkable 1300-year history encapsulates the Irish story better than anywhere else.

In Spike Island the vast history of the island is told from 9000 bc right up to 2004, when the last jail on the island closed. Featuring the voices of prisoners past and island dwellers, and with tales of religious fervour, frequent rebellion, social endeavour and a nation’s unextinguishable yearning for freedom, this long-awaited book reveals the fascinating stories of the captivating characters who lived on the island, served on the island, visited the island or were sentenced to its shores. After 206 years off-limits to the public, Spike Island’s secrets are finally divulged.