The Crumlin Road Jail (or Gaol) is a former prison situated on the Crumlin Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Housing its first inmates back in 1846, for 150 years it was a fully operational prison.
In 1996, the heavy gates of the jail were slammed shut for the last time and an extensive renovation followed before it reopened to the public as a venue and historical attraction.
Visitors to the Crumlin Road Jail can enjoy guided tours of the former prison, discovering what life inside must have been like for inmates throughout its history. Those locked up in the jail over its 150-year history included murderers, suffragettes and both loyalist and republican prisoners. It was also home to riots, executions and daring escape attempts.
These grizzly events are thankfully a thing of the past, and guided tours lasting over an hour let you see inside the former working parts of the prison, including the condemned man’s cell where 17 inmates spent their last nights before being executed.
The prison and its inmates serve as an insightful snapshot of life in Northern Ireland over the last 150 years, with former prisoners including Ian Paisley, Bobby Sands and Eamon de Valera. It’s a popular and fascinating attraction in this historic city and great way of understanding what has happened in Belfast over the years.
The Crumlin Road Jail is also a conference centre and entertainment venue, meaning its days of cruelty and punishment are definitely long gone.
