John Crotty – author
Posts on upcoming titles on Spike Island and personal development

The explosion of the gunship Breda – 1691

The explosion of the gunship Breda – 1691
Spike Island is most famously known as Ireland’s Alcatraz. This is as a result of the Island housing four prisons over the four centuries. The island fortress is well known in military circles as one… View Post

The largest prison in the world – Spike Island prison

The largest prison in the world – Spike Island prison
The opening of a Spike Island prison in 1847 was completely unexpected just six months before. The enormous island fortress that dominated its center was constructed in 1804, built to defend an Empire. It enjoyed… View Post

Spike Island’s Republican prisoners – 1921

Spike Island’s Republican prisoners – 1921
TD’s, teachers, shirt cutters, cheese makers, farmers, dentists and more.. The Irish War of Independence raged throughout 1920, resulting in thousands of arrested Irish Republican prisoners and internees. This was more than Britain could suitably… View Post

The Gravedigger – Dubliner Joseph Dwyer

The Gravedigger – Dubliner Joseph Dwyer
In the Victorian world of the deadly and dastardly, Joseph Dwyer’s crime stood out… Dublin of the mid-1850’s was a place of contrast. In the century beforehand, the city had developed a beautiful Georgian centre,… View Post

The world’s greatest explorer and the lost city of gold

The world’s greatest explorer and the lost city of gold

The worlds greatest explorer found himself living on Spike Island Cork for three years

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The warrior poet and the Dubliner – teacher Edward Walsh

The warrior poet and the Dubliner – teacher Edward Walsh
Spike Island has had a long association with writers. Several former residents have published books, while a number of other visitors have inspired them, including former prisoners. These published works range from the adventures of… View Post

John Patrick Leonard – Our man in Paris

John Patrick Leonard – Our man in Paris
At a time when Spike Island was being carved up and commandeered for the defence of the British Empire, a curious thing happened.  A child was born on this tiny island in the early 19th… View Post