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

Hunger strikes, prison riot & the murder of Daniel Clancy – The Irish Republican unrest on Spike Island,1921

Hunger strikes, prison riot & the murder of Daniel Clancy – The Irish Republican unrest on Spike Island,1921
Spike Island started 1921 as a British Military base, a function it had occupied since 1779. Built to defend the important Cork Harbour from Napoleonic attack, the fort was converted into a prison in 1847,… View Post

The boy they made a murderer – Edmond Power

The boy they made a murderer – Edmond Power
Spike Island went from sleepy military outpost to epic island prison in October 1847, while the Irish famine raged. An explosion in convictions led to more prisoners than the jail or transportation system could handle. … View Post

The pirates and smugglers of Spike Island Cork

The pirates and smugglers of Spike Island Cork
Pirates have been carrying out their murderous activity ever since the first trade vessels took to the seas. The first documented instances are recorded over 3400 years ago in the Mediterranean sea.  Parchments from 286AD… View Post

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