Spike Island’s ‘After Dark’ tours will return this weekend

Just in time for ✨Spooky Season✨.

If you’re looking for a late night fright in the lead up to Halloween, the popular ‘after dark’ tours of Spike Island are back this weekend.

Strictly for visitors aged 16 and over and described as “not for the faint-hearted”, the late night tours offer access to parts of the island which are usually off limits to the public.

Led by candlelight, you’ll be brought through eerie tunnels, abandoned prison cells and the Punishment Block, an area built with the sole purpose of punishing human beings. This “sombre and frightening history” is not generally discussed on day tours of the island.

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Located off the coast of Cobh in Cork Harbour, Spike Island is consistently one of the most popular tourist attractions in Ireland, and was awarded Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction in 2017. The island was used as a prison on four occasions over 400 years – the first in the 1600’s holding Cromwellian prisoners.

On the After Dark tour you’ll hear stories of murders that took place in the prison, as well as the mass graves that litter the island – the result of foul conditions and overcrowding during the worst of the famine years.

The After Dark tours will run from Saturday 24th September – Saturday 22nd October. Tickets cost €30.95 and can be booked HERE.

Header image via Instagram/spikeisland

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