cork city gaol

With a special emphasis on history & culture, 19th Century crime, punishment and social history, a trip to Cork City Gaol is a must!

Go back in time and trace the life of a suffering prisoner. The impressive audio system allows you to hear the shuffling of prisoner’s feet, the coughs of the sick inmates and you can also examine the life like characters that fill the prison’s cells.

For the architect among you, the Gaol's layout is intriguing! The wonderful piece of Georgian/Gothic design has a number of particularly pleasant and unusual features - in fact, from the outside it looks more like a castle than a purpose built prison!

The Radio Museum Experience is also located within the Gaol. It was from here, that the radio station 6CK operated from in the late 1930's.

The Gaol is located just 2km outside Cork city centre and can be reached on foot easily (buses pass the gaol also). If you'd like to take a guided tour they are available in 8 different languages. There is also an onsite café, which gives customers the option of choosing between a Victorian prisoner's fare or the prison governor's menu!