Friends’ aim is to see jail open to visitors
THE FRIENDS of Sligo Gaol are an independent, volunteer body formed in 2014.
Their aim is to build on community support for the conservation of Sligo Gaol and to promote greater understanding and awareness of its history and heritage. The group’s eventual aim is to bring about the opening of the jail to visitors.
They are committed to working in partnership with Sligo County Council and other stakeholders in achieving these aims. The Friends of Sligo Gaol liaise with other heritage groups in the county and nationally and with educational bodies interested in Sligo’s heritage in pursuit of these aims.
Like most voluntary organisations they have been restricted to a great extent in their public activities since the arrival of the pandemic. But they have been busy behind the scenes keeping in contact with various state bodies and other similar activities. Previous to then they hosted a number of public events as well as sourcing personal reminisces, material and objects relating to the jail and its history.
The group’s biggest event was a successful two-day public conference in September 2018 marking the 200th anniversary of the jail’s opening. A key ele- ment of the conference was a panel discussion on the theme of ‘The Future of Sligo Gaol’. Another major undertaking was the publication of a children’s book ‘My Tale Untold’. Inspired by true life characters and events, it followed the story of a young Sligo girl in the 1800s who came to be imprisoned in Sligo Gaol and her perilous jour- ney to freedom.
Free copies of the book were presented to every primary school in Sligo. It is still available for sale in local bookshops and online, proving popular with overseas readers.
Among other public events hosted by the voluntary group was a screening of the ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ film in 2016 to celebrate Culture Night.
The women who fought in 1916 were remembered by the Friends of Sligo Gaol in a seminar held in the Riverside Hotel followed by guided tours of the jail for those attending. The Friends of Sligo Gaol took part in an evening hosted by the Hawk’s Well Theatre on the history of Sligo Gaol, which was entitled ‘The Way We Were’.
As part of their aim of helping to preserve the jail building, the Friends of Sligo Gaol secured a Heritage Council grant of €9,000 to conserve 11 original timber windows on the top floor of the three-storey cell block.
At the start of 2022, the Friends of Sligo Gaol are delighted to join with Sligo County Council in the publication of the feasibility report on the future of the jail and the coinciding video released this week.
The officers of the Friends of Sligo Gaol are Tamlyn McHugh (chairperson), Ciaran Davis (secretary), Dan Scannell (treasurer) and Brian McHugh (PRO). They are backed by committee members Cllr Marie Casserly, Carol Carty, Chantal Doyle, Deirdre Kelly, Seonag MacPherson, David McLoughlin, Ciaran McHugh and Deirdre Melvin.