Distillery opens in historic gaol but jury’s out on old courthouse, insists investor

THE US managing director of the newly-opened Mcconnell’s Distillery and Visitor Experience at Crumlin Road Gaol has said the nearby courthouse could represent a further opportunity for his team.

Joseph Babiec is one of around 100 investors, mostly American, to plough £22m into converting the gaol’s A wing into a distillery and visitor centre.

It was officially opened by Special US Economic Envoy Joe Kennedy, the First and deputy First Ministers and three other Executive ministers — including Economy Minister Conor Murphy, who reminisced about being an A wing inmate in the 1980s

The gaol is already a successful museum, but across the road, Crumlin Road Courthouse is in a state of advanced disrepair after failed attempts to regenerate it.

As well as US money, the distillery and centre have been supported by Invest NI and the Departments for Communities and Infrastructure.

Mr Babiec, a Boston-based investor and managing director of Belfast Distillery Company, said he and his fellow investors had regarded it as a business opportunity first before becoming aware of the building’s history.

Mcconnell’s Irish Whisky itself originated in Belfast in 1776 but had faded from view before it was revived. He said: “We came to understand we would never really be owners of the project, we would be stewards of both the whiskey heritage and a very important building.” Mr Babiec added: “We think that just as there’s much more room for Irish whiskey in the world, there’s more room for visitors to come and enjoy Irish whisky tourism.”

He said the investors would also consider other projects in Northern Ireland. “There’s the courthouse across the road, there’s other things just here on the campus to start with then potentially other spaces around.”

But he added its interest in the courthouse was only in the early stages. “We’re very interested in learning more about it. We understand other people have taken a run at it and it’s proven very difficult as a project so I don’t want to say we’re definitely committed to it.”

Economy Minister Conor Murphy said he was confident in the potential of the distillery and visitors’ centre to draw tourists.

But he admitted it was a different place when he knew it in the 1980s after being sentenced to five years imprisonment for IRA membership and possession of explosives. “Well, I was a resident here, not voluntarily, for a period… and it was a very different place.

“It’s remarkable to be back in here to see how that has transformed and it probably epitomises the story of transformation of moving from conflict and division into where we are now.

“I’m living personification of that, having been resident here down the stairs for some time, but I’m thrilled to be back here and it’s amazing to see the difference.”

The distillery already employs 34 people and is expected to attract 100,000 visitors each year.