Trip to Spike Island

The two Hungarian Alexians, Brother Leo and Brother Alexius visited the Irish Alexian community from 21-27 May. With Brother Barry, they travelled to Spike Island, which is located in the harbour of Cobh, County Cork. From the 6th century, monks lived here in monasteries, it was a military fortress (the second largest natural harbour in the world after Sidney, it can accommodate up to 300 merchant ships at a time, so pirates have tried to enter) and finally, from 1847 until 2004, it was a prison. There were also political prisoners, people with mental illnesses who were deported here and during the Great Famine (1845-1852) there was a special section for children. During the potato blight famine, which claimed over 1 million lives, families often sent children to steal, for which they were sentenced to 5-10 years in prison. The prison, also known as the Irish Alcatraz, was home to more than 2,000 in its 'heyday', making it the largest prison of its time in the world. Prison guards lived on the island with their families and even had a school for their children. The place is very popular with visitors and was voted Europe's best tourist attraction in 2017. We have selected some of the pictures taken here.