(Belfast) In the past, paramilitaries from the Northern Irish conflict were locked up there, today whiskey is made: a former prison in Belfast has been converted into a distillery, and now welcomes a flow of tourists and enthusiasts.
Built 178 years ago, Crumlin Road Prison, whose walls protect four thick gray granite wings, represents “an iconic part of Belfast’s history,” says master distiller Graeme Miller.
“We want to do it justice” by bringing whiskey manufacturing back to the Northern Irish capital and “in a building of such importance,” this 53-year-old man told AFP after showing a group of tourists cells repurposed and whiskey making process.
The “calm” and “quietude” he enjoys upon arriving each morning contrasts with the atmosphere that once reigned in these places.
The Northern Irish conflict left 3,500 dead during three decades of violence, until the Good Friday Peace Agreement of 1998.
For many Irish people, Crumlin Road Prison, located in the northwest of the city, an epicenter of the conflict, evokes riots, bombings, and escapes.
“I used to drive by here with my mum and dad when I was little and see the barriers ahead and the high wire fences,” says Graeme Miller, who grew up near the Northern Irish capital.
After its closure in 1996, wing A of the prison was left abandoned.
It underwent a metamorphosis after an investment of £30 million (€35 million) from the Belfast Distillery Company, supported by American funds and the British government.
The thick stone walls and the alignment of cells represented a “challenge” in installing the distillery in this space, he emphasizes.
“Small rooms to put things like air compressors in, that works well, but sometimes we had to bring equipment inside into a few cells on three floors to handle the grain that should be outside,” says -he.
The place now employs more than 30 people, including distillers and visitor reception staff.
He also revived both a long-dormant brand, “McConnell’s Irish Whiskey”, which dates back to 1776, and whiskey making in Belfast, which declined in the 1930s after exports ended due to Prohibition in the USA.
“We are bringing jobs and know-how that have not been used in Belfast for years,” Graeme Miller proudly emphasizes.
“However, we are not the first to distill whiskey in this prison,” guide Ross Wade tells a group of English tourists coming from Nottingham.
“The inmates made their homemade concoction with fermented fruits, biscuits and yeast, but their specialty was not as good as our whiskey,” jokes the 27-year-old.
Over the years, more than 25,000 people have been incarcerated in this prison opened in 1846, including suffragettes, Irish republican or British loyalist paramilitaries, murderers and even small-time crooks.
Its famous detainees include former president Eamon de Valera, former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, who became Northern Ireland’s deputy prime minister after the conflict.
The prison opened as a tourist attraction in 2012, but hopes to attract even more visitors.
According to Graeme Wade, it complements other places such as the museum dedicated to the Titanic, built in Belfast.
“We expect to welcome around 100,000 visitors each year, particularly in the peak season when cruise ships and visitor coaches arrive in Belfast,” he said.
“An absolutely wonderful experience,” says tourist Simon Simmons after visiting the distillery.
“Being from Britain, we absolutely heard about the Troubles in Northern Ireland,” says the 54-year-old IT manager.
“We hadn’t necessarily heard about this prison, but we knew about what was happening growing up,” he emphasizes. “It’s a good thing that we’re building something on this story.”