Cork City Gaol — Attraction in Cork

I recently visited Cork City Gaol back in October of 2023 and I was not disappointed. I've been passing by this landmark site for years and always wondered what the tour was like so on a random Sunday in October we decided to visit!

The Staff: The staff are very knowledgeable about the site and they are more than willing to answer any queries that you may have with their friendly nature!

The Tour: You can book ahead or show up on the day. We chose to pay for our tickets at the front desk. There is a couple of tour options to choose from as there is staff guided tour and two self guided tour options either with the use of a paper guide or an audio. We went for the staff guided tour as we felt that it was worth it and the tour guide was full of information about the site. The tour started off by bringing us through the Warden's quarters and giving a breif history about what it was like for the warden's family living at the jail. Then we were brought to the dubble sided prision wing which was once for the men. This wing has been renovated and preserved by the private owners of the site. The tour will take you through the cell's here and they have various examples of life sized male and female prisioners that depict what conditions were like for the prisoners. Some graffiti belonging to the prisoners has been preserved in some of the cells and is really interesting however, some people have since left their own graffiti in other cells damaging the 19th century masonry. At the end of the tour there is a projector room and a room with a diorama representing what the jail once looked along with all of the various buildings that you can interact with.

Gift Shop: There is a small gift shop in the main jail building selling snacks, drinks, books etc. but it is quite small.

Note: This site is spread across a large area that will take you outdoors first and then indoors to the old prision so bringing a rain jacket is good idea. The prision is a stone building and in October it was a little chilly indoors so having a warm fleece wouldn't go astray either. Be prepaired for a number of staircases however, the tour moves at a slow pace so you won't be out of breath to keep up.

Overall Opinion: Cork City Gaol is very interesting and I am glad I finally got a chance to see it. The old structure is full of history and the tour is very informative and I think it does justice for this Cork City landmark! It would be lovely if the state or the private owners might one day renovate and preserve the building in its entirety as well as some of the building out back for future generations to...

Difficult to find even with Google maps and the small roads around it.

Price was e50 for four adults and four kids which was reasonable.

Staff were very helpful and knowledgeable and available when required but not overbearing which was great.

The Gaol itself had very good exhibits and told the stories of the normal people and not just Irish heroes. You were able to go in the cells, close the door and get a feel of the isolation endured by prisoners. There were activities for the kids, no overload of reading as in other heritage sights. Too many closed off areas like the top floor , the wings and the secret tunnel due to safety etc but even if there were stories available it would open up these areas a little more to the public. Even the Courtyard if it had a little stop there with some tales of attempted escapes it would add more to the experience.

Overall the Gaol was good,a little too quick to get around for my liking but definitely worth a visit.

They need to introduce a scare factor here to improve the experience. The Gaol and mannequins are very eerie and scary at times. I was expecting a jump out scare that dissapointingly never came. A sound activation when visitors pass an exhibit too closely of a unexpected yell or a scream would add alot more Wow factor and make the visit more memorable.This would stick in peoples minds and have them spread the word of how good the Gaol is when they talk about their visit.

Sadly i wont be going back again as this is definitely a one and done...

The gaol is outside the main city centre but is well worth a visit. Closed back in the 1920's before being used to host a radio station and for storage- this has a new lease of life as an attraction. It has an old school feel with wax figures dotted around and in the cells, and a map that you follow around with different stops along the way. The bulk of the tour is the renovated cell block (you can still see the older ones through a barrier) and an exploration of the different inmates. They are quite a varied bunch from children to thieves and even Countess Markievicz. Upstairs, there's an exhibition on the evolution of radio (there's a great video on Marconi) which was really interesting and very unexpected. There are toilets too and a small gift shop as well. I'm torn on this one. The architecture is stunning and I'd really recommend walking around the back to see the ruins of the hospital and debtors prison. The stories of the prison are very interesting but I think could be brought out more for the standard self-guided tour and linked to the history of Cork and the socio-political events happening during the prisons use. There is an audio tour which costs extra and I think they also do a guided tour if you come along at the right...