Sligo County Council has received a €200,000 grant aimed at refurbishing the Sligo Jail, a significant historical structure recognized as a town treasure.
The funding was awarded through the EU’s THRIVE Heritage Revival Scheme, facilitating plans to transform the jail into a modern tourism and community facility.
Future applications for larger funding between €2m-€7m are planned, with a focus on maintaining the jail’s historical integrity while enhancing community accessibility and educational opportunities.
The project aims to highlight the rich history of the jail, which housed notable figures in Irish history such as Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Davit, and Michael Collins, and create an Interpretive Centre for broader public engagement.
Director of Services, Dorothy Clarke shared: “We are also hoping to have an Interpretive Centre for further community engagement. Protecting the building is one thing but it’s restoring those areas that can be built on as well. What is the experience we want to tell about Sligo Gaol, and there is a huge amount of stories out there already. We could develop it into a tourist attraction and for students as well and it is a brilliant project and hopefully we will get the €7m grant which would help with protecting the structure quite a bit.”
