Rebels held on Spike Island are named


SPIKE Island is commemorating 100 years since the opening of a War of Independence prison on the island, which saw over 1200 Irish rebels held for their part in Irelands fight for freedom in 1921.
The ‘Imprisoning A Nation’ exhibition will include new artefacts, new prisoner diaries and new stories on information panels. Also, part of the exhibition will be a recently discovered 1985 recording of a former prisoner, describing his time in the 1921 prison.
There were 33 men from almost every town in the county Kilkenny, held as internees on Spike Island during 1921. The internees included Thomas Barron, Hugginstown, Thomas Cahill, Callan, William Cottrell, Inistioge, Laurence DeLoughrey, Kilkenny City, William Forrestal, Jerpoint Church, John and Richard Foskin, Mullinavat, Martin McGrath, Listerlin, Michael Shelley, Callan and Timothy Hennessy. Threecastles. His brother Tom was killed in action in the Friary Street ambush in Kilkenny City, on February 21, 1921.
A link between Kilkenny and the Spike Island prison exists in the infamous escape from Kilkenny Goal on November 22, 2021. More than 44 prisoners escaped that night through a tunnel, and at least 13 had been held in Spike Island’s cells in the months prior. Some had only arrived very recently, and must have been delighted to discover the almost complete escape endeavour.
Visitors can research the freedom fighters by name, town and county in the free genealogy section, part of the islands permanent ‘Independence’ exhibition which tells the story of the road to Irish freedom from 1914 – 1922.

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