Arbour Hill Prison must rebuild wall surrounding 1916 memorial after section torn down

ARBOUR HILL PRISON in Dublin has been told to rebuild a wall attached to a 1916 memorial after a portion of it was torn down to allow pedestrian access to a building site.

Plans to build a small prefab for the unit at the north city centre prison commenced last month to house additional prisoners who were attending court.

It was to be overseen by the Irish Prison Service’s Operational Support Group (OSG), which is responsible for preventing contraband from entering the prison system.

Third-party contractors began demolishing a portion of the wall to provide pedestrian access into the temporary structure, sources said.

The stone wall, which is a protected structure, surrounds the 1916 memorial monument and garden in Arbour Hill in Dublin.

Fourteen of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising are listed and buried at the monument.

The memorial in Arbour Hill where the names of 14 executed leaders of the Irish 1916 rising are listed and their remains are buried.

There is an adjoining church at the monument which is open to the public and is also used as a chapel for Arbour Hill Prisoners.

The monument was erected in 1956, at the site where seven signatories of the Proclamation of Independence were buried in quicklime after their execution at Kilmainham Gaol in 1916. Seven other leaders of the Rising were also interred there.

The contractors were attempting to provide an archway in order to “create a small pedestrian access through an existing stone wall, similar to fabric finishes to an existing wall opening”, an Irish Prison Service spokesperson told The Journal.

As the wall is classified as a protected structure, these alterations could not be made without applying for permission.

A spokesperson for the prison service said the wall will be rebuilt.

The Irish Prison Service’s estate directorate was informed that a section of the wall was affected during the initial process to create the pedestrian access, a spokesperson said.

The estate directorate consulted with Dublin City Council and the construction project stopped. The contractors were instructed that they must rebuild the damaged portion of the wall.

The IPS spokesperson said the wall will be fully rebuilt and repaired. It’s understood senior prison staff had also raised concerns about the changes to the wall.

The spokesperson said the prison service has also separately appointed conservation architects and building managers to engage with Dublin City Council’s conservation architects on the project.

The conservation architects will assist the contractors to make sure the damaged portion of the wall is restored to its original standard.

The service hopes the appointments will allow the contractors “to progress the works in a sustainable manner to achieve an acceptable, practical solution”.

The Journal has contacted Dublin City Council for comment.