What’s next for the 19th century landmark Mountjoy Prison, now that it faces closure and the transferral of its inmates to a more modern facility? Heritage centre? Museum? Nope– the OPW has other plans in mind:

Mountjoy may provide jail break for tourists

The rooms might currently be a little on the small side – as are the windows – but Mountjoy could become one of the most exclusive places to stay in Dublin following a new proposal to turn the prison into a boutique hotel, writes Olivia Kelly .

Guests would be staying, at their own pleasure rather than the State’s, in the original late 19th-century institution, the main structure of which cannot be altered by order of the Office of Public Works (OPW), once the current residents move to the new prison due to open at Thornton Hall in north Dublin in 2011. (more…)