WORKING TO GIVE A FUTURE TO OUR PAST AT SLIGO GAOL
FRIENDS of Sligo Gaol was formed two years ago with the aim of eventually re- opening the gates of the closed Sligo Gaol located in Cranmore.
The gaol opened in 1818 to replace the smaller existing gaol located at Sligo Courthouse.
It was originally built to house up to 200 men, women and children. During the famine this number was exceeded by up to 100 as people committed crimes to be put into prison, as it ensured some type of food for those starving.
It’s hard to imagine now but when the gaol gates swung open for the first time, it was surrounded entirely by countryside. The gaol had many different buildings and was unique in its polygonal shape.
There was a debtor’s prison, a men’s section, a women’s section, a treadmill, the governor’s house which contained a protestant and a catholic church and a breaker’s yard.
The jail closed for the final time in 1956. In the 1970’ s it became a storage yard for Sligo County Council and in the 1970’ s the partial demolition of the jail began.
However by the time the women’s wing had been demolished locals stepped in and prevented any more of the jail being torn down.
In the 1980’ s it was decided that it would make an ideal location for a new fire station. The aim of Friends of Sligo Gaol is to provide community support for the conservation of Sligo Gaol and to promote greater understanding and public awareness of its history and heritage. Its eventual aim is to see the Gaol opened to the public as a tourist attraction.
Over the past two years the group of volunteers have been busy organising events to promote awareness while appropriately conserving and preserving this protected structure.
One of its larger projects is the weatherproofing of the jail. To this end work is being carried on the replacement of the windows on the top floor which will finally weather proof the asylum wing of the jail.
The original windows are being replaced by conservation joiner Nick Taylor who is making each of the windows by hand.
This work is the result of a Heritage Council grant secured by Friends of Sligo Gaol and follows on to the work carried out by Sligo County Council in the replacement of the ground and first floor windows.
Friends of Sligo Gaol is in the process of carrying out a feasibility study for the future development of the jail as a tourist attraction.
As well as this next year will make the 200th anniversary of the jail’s opening and plans are being made to mark the occasion. To coincide with this Friends of Sligo Gaol plan to launch a children’s book set around the jail.
“This will bring the jail’s history to a whole new generation and promote our message of awareness,” said Chairperson of Friends of Sligo Gaol, Tamlyn McHugh. Through open days we have brought people from as far afield as Australia around the prison, so geographically our message is getting out there.
“But with the children’s book we will bring with us a younger audience who may not even be aware of the jail’s existence,” said Tamlyn. The book is being worked on by group members Lara Byrne and Gary Burke.
The group featured on RTE’s Nationwide in January.
“We received wonderful feedback from the piece. We were so thrilled when Eileen Magnier approached us on behalf of RTE to film in the jail.
“It generated even more interest in the work we are doing and our eventual aim of seeing the jail opened as a viable tourist attraction,” said Tamlyn.
So what do the group get from their involvement?
“Friends of Sligo Gaol is totally run on a voluntary basis. Each of us contributes our time and energy purely based on our interest in what we are doing and our commitment to the future of the jail. We have a wonderful group of energetic, enthusiastic, dedicated people who come out in all kinds of weather and put on a great show for anyone attending events at the gaol.
“We work together very well and are a good mix of personalities. As well as the work, we have good fun together and it is easy to put your own time into something when you all have a common goal,” said Tamlyn.
Anyone wishing to keep up to date with Friends of Sligo Gaol can do so via their Facebook page or on their website, www. sligogaol. ie.