What lies beneath: Pressure on to preserve drawings in Cork town's courthouse
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Sheila O’Keeffe has yet to see first-hand the series of drawings etched on the walls of the Bridewell Gaol in Kanturk or know if her late father was one of the IRA prisoners responsible for them.
The Limerick woman is hopeful that artwork by her father, Dan Guiney, from Kiskeam, will eventually be uncovered, but even if no drawings by him are found, she’s adamant that this unique piece of history is properly preserved for future generations.
Drawing on the wall to pass away the time seems to have been a popular prisoner tradition in many parts of the globe. However, Kanturk's old Bridewell Gaol made headlines two years ago when heavy rain caused plaster to crumble off the walls — and revealed a host of hitherto unknown graffiti, signatures and drawings underneath.
They were mostly created by IRA prisoners incarcerated there by the British during the War of Independence.
Mary Crowley, southern regional manager for the Courts Service, said they have now secured the building to prevent more rain pouring in and further damage to the plaster and what lies beneath.
Unfortunately, while many of the drawings are likely to have been lost, more are expected to be uncovered under what remains of the intact plaster.
“We are absolutely happy to pass the building over to a body which will look after it for the benefit of the local community and to preserve its history,” Ms Crowley said.
And now, the Kanturk Courthouse Restoration Committee (KCRC) has brought in expert help in its quest to draw up plans to preserve the historic wall drawings and the complex.
The plan is to convert the former courthouse and jail containing the invaluable historic graffiti into a tourist attraction and community hub. The Courts Service is in favour of relinquishing control of the building for the estimated €6m project.
Junior minister for Justice, James Browne, and senior officials from the Courts Service this week toured the former courthouse and adjoining Bridewell Gaol to see at first hand the future potential for the buildings.
They were given a tour of the complex from local Fianna Fáil TD Michael Moynihan, who is hoping that various government departments will provide grant aid for the proposed KCRC project.
Mr Browne said he was impressed by what he had been told and his fact-finding visit had provided him with an insight into “the real historical importance” of the building and the unique collection of drawings contained within it.
UCC Emeritus Professor Deirdre Hunt, who is one of the academics helping KCRC achieve its goal, was in attendance. She stressed the unique nature of the building, and that the historic IRA drawings further increased the vital need to preserve and repurpose the building for future generations to enjoy.
Irish conservation architect John J O’Connell travelled from Dublin to lend his support to the restoration plan. “The potential here is enormous,” he said.
Ms O'Keeffe travelled from Tullylease, Co. Limerick, to aid the call for government finance for the project. Her father, Dan Guiney, from Kiskeam, was an IRA man imprisoned there after being arrested in June 1923 by Free State Forces during the Civil War. After that he enjoyed a long and happy life, dying aged 90 in 1986.
KCRC vice chairman Dan Dennehy welcomed the Court Service support for the project, saying the committee “could now see some light at the end of the tunnel”. “We owe it to those people who fought for our nationhood to preserve the buildings. They gave us our country,” he said.