Third and final part in my Ireland round-ups. This one is pretty eclectic.
1. Cork Gaol, County Cork
(I) The History:
In 1806 an Act of Parliament was passed to allow the building of a new Cork City Gaol. It was designed to replace the old Gaol at the North Gate Bridge in the heart of the city. It was nearly 100 years old, on a confined site, overcrowded & unhygienic. This wonderful piece of Georgian/Gothic architecture was the work of Sir Thomas Deane, and from the outside, it looked more like a castle than a purpose-built prison
When it first opened in 1824 it was reported as being “the finest in 3 kingdoms”. Housing both male and female prisoners who committed crimes within the city boundary, anyone committing crime outside of the city boundary was sent to the County Gaol, located on the grounds of what is now UCC.
Map of the site:
Derelict Ireland Miscil 05 by HughieDW, on Flickr
In the 1870s a number of changes occurred in the Gaol. The West Wing was remodelled into a brighter, more spacious double-sided cell wing. The Gaol also became “a place of confinement for females only”. Half a century later, in 1923, all prisoners were removed, and the doors of the Gaol never again closed on the freedom of any man, woman or child.
The Gaol was only left idle for a few years. However, in 1927, Radio Eireann began to broadcast Corks’ first radio station, 6CK, from the centre of the main building. The Gaol was used as a broadcasting station up until the end of the 1950s, when the complex was allowed to become totally derelict until its innovative partial restoration and reopening to the public as a visitor attraction in 1993.
(II) The Explore
Headed up this way not for here but the infamous Good Shepherd Convent. When this turned out to be palisaded up to the nines and live secca on site (shame as it looked ace) decided to go tourist and visit the gaol museum next to it. To my pleasant surprise, most of the gaol is still derelict so managed to sneak round a couple of bits that weren’t open to the public. The museum bit itself is great but get the abandoned wings are really good. Shame I could only get into the hospital and debtor’s prison. They were just shells but were quite photogenic all the same.
(III) The Pictures
Both these wings are in “managed abandonment” according to one of the ladies that worked at the museum. The bit in the middle, the church has been resorted and is part of the exhibition
img5210 by HughieDW, on Flickr
This wing was also ‘abandoned’ but no way in, sadly:
img5221 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img5234 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Looking out to the hospital from the museum:
img5243 by HughieDW, on Flickr
The debtor’s prison. Pretty far gone by all accounts:
img5211 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img5216 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img5219 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img5222 by HughieDW, on Flickr
The Hospital:
img5233 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And we’re in:
img5231 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img5229 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img5228 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img5225 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img5224 by HughieDW, on Flickr
2. The Cliffs of Ardmore
Several things of interest here:
(a) The Napoleonic watchtower: used as a lookout tower to monitor the coast of Ireland mainly against enemies in the wars in Europe. Not much to it but quite photogenic:
img4930 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img4933bw by HughieDW, on Flickr
Ardmore 01 by HughieDW, on Flickr
(b) A much more modern watch-point closer to the cliff. Probably dating from WW2(?):
img4944 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img4945 by HughieDW, on Flickr
(c) Samson, the crane barge
This was a really nice surprise. Couldn’t get down to it given the combination of its location and the weather but was afforded great views over it from the footpath. Samson was a crane barge that ran aground the coast at Ardmore in 1987. It had earlier left Liverpool on 9th December 1987, bound for Valletta, Malta. Initially it was being towed by a tugboat, but the towline snapped in gale-force conditions off the Welsh coast two days after setting off. Fortunately, the two men aboard were rescued by an RAF Sea King flying from RAF Brawdy. Attempts to reconnect the towline failed. And the barge eventually ran aground at Rams Head, Ardmore, County Waterford on the morning of 12th December. Dangerous pollutants were removed soon after, but the barge was never salvaged. In April 2016 the entire jib collapsed into the sea.
img4962 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img4950 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img4954 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img4940 by HughieDW, on Flickr
3. Kilronan Church, outside Ballymacarbry, Co. Waterford
All sealed-up but very cute and good for a few externals. The tiny gothic-style church is accessed via a gateway fronting onto the Dungarvan to Clonmel Road. It was a Protestant Church, built by a local landlord, mill-manager Abraham Coates, for his staff, and attributed to the local architect William Tinsley (1804-85) of County Tipperary. The detached three-bay single-storey church has a plaque on the front of it which displays the year ‘1847’, the year that the church was built. Coates only came here on holidays and was not resident here, explaining the lack of a graveyard. It seated about 40 people in total and served as an estate church to Glenahiry Lodge. Locally referred to as ‘the teapot’, the church closed in 1921 and then served as a courthouse for a while before latterly served as a scout hut the Ballymacarbry Scout Group.
Derelict Ireland Miscil 01 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Derelict Ireland Miscil 02 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Derelict Ireland Miscil 03 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Derelict Ireland Miscil 04 by HughieDW, on Flickr
1. Cork Gaol, County Cork
(I) The History:
In 1806 an Act of Parliament was passed to allow the building of a new Cork City Gaol. It was designed to replace the old Gaol at the North Gate Bridge in the heart of the city. It was nearly 100 years old, on a confined site, overcrowded & unhygienic. This wonderful piece of Georgian/Gothic architecture was the work of Sir Thomas Deane, and from the outside, it looked more like a castle than a purpose-built prison
When it first opened in 1824 it was reported as being “the finest in 3 kingdoms”. Housing both male and female prisoners who committed crimes within the city boundary, anyone committing crime outside of the city boundary was sent to the County Gaol, located on the grounds of what is now UCC.
Map of the site:
In the 1870s a number of changes occurred in the Gaol. The West Wing was remodelled into a brighter, more spacious double-sided cell wing. The Gaol also became “a place of confinement for females only”. Half a century later, in 1923, all prisoners were removed, and the doors of the Gaol never again closed on the freedom of any man, woman or child.
The Gaol was only left idle for a few years. However, in 1927, Radio Eireann began to broadcast Corks’ first radio station, 6CK, from the centre of the main building. The Gaol was used as a broadcasting station up until the end of the 1950s, when the complex was allowed to become totally derelict until its innovative partial restoration and reopening to the public as a visitor attraction in 1993.
(II) The Explore
Headed up this way not for here but the infamous Good Shepherd Convent. When this turned out to be palisaded up to the nines and live secca on site (shame as it looked ace) decided to go tourist and visit the gaol museum next to it. To my pleasant surprise, most of the gaol is still derelict so managed to sneak round a couple of bits that weren’t open to the public. The museum bit itself is great but get the abandoned wings are really good. Shame I could only get into the hospital and debtor’s prison. They were just shells but were quite photogenic all the same.
(III) The Pictures
Both these wings are in “managed abandonment” according to one of the ladies that worked at the museum. The bit in the middle, the church has been resorted and is part of the exhibition
This wing was also ‘abandoned’ but no way in, sadly:
Looking out to the hospital from the museum:
The debtor’s prison. Pretty far gone by all accounts:
The Hospital:
And we’re in:
2. The Cliffs of Ardmore
Several things of interest here:
(a) The Napoleonic watchtower: used as a lookout tower to monitor the coast of Ireland mainly against enemies in the wars in Europe. Not much to it but quite photogenic:
(b) A much more modern watch-point closer to the cliff. Probably dating from WW2(?):
(c) Samson, the crane barge
This was a really nice surprise. Couldn’t get down to it given the combination of its location and the weather but was afforded great views over it from the footpath. Samson was a crane barge that ran aground the coast at Ardmore in 1987. It had earlier left Liverpool on 9th December 1987, bound for Valletta, Malta. Initially it was being towed by a tugboat, but the towline snapped in gale-force conditions off the Welsh coast two days after setting off. Fortunately, the two men aboard were rescued by an RAF Sea King flying from RAF Brawdy. Attempts to reconnect the towline failed. And the barge eventually ran aground at Rams Head, Ardmore, County Waterford on the morning of 12th December. Dangerous pollutants were removed soon after, but the barge was never salvaged. In April 2016 the entire jib collapsed into the sea.
3. Kilronan Church, outside Ballymacarbry, Co. Waterford
All sealed-up but very cute and good for a few externals. The tiny gothic-style church is accessed via a gateway fronting onto the Dungarvan to Clonmel Road. It was a Protestant Church, built by a local landlord, mill-manager Abraham Coates, for his staff, and attributed to the local architect William Tinsley (1804-85) of County Tipperary. The detached three-bay single-storey church has a plaque on the front of it which displays the year ‘1847’, the year that the church was built. Coates only came here on holidays and was not resident here, explaining the lack of a graveyard. It seated about 40 people in total and served as an estate church to Glenahiry Lodge. Locally referred to as ‘the teapot’, the church closed in 1921 and then served as a courthouse for a while before latterly served as a scout hut the Ballymacarbry Scout Group.
