Derry Gaol, also known as Londonderry Gaol, refers to one of several gaols (

prisons A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correcti ...

) constructed consecutively in

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. Derry Gaol is notable as a place of incarceration for Irish Republican Army (IRA) members during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

, and for its numerous

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the State (polity), state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to ...

s, seven of which took place between 1820 and 1923. On Christmas day 1939 interned

Irish Republican Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate. The develop ...

prisoners took control of the jail, protesting their continued imprisonment without charges or trials. On 20 March 1943, 21 Irish Republican prisoners tunneled their way out of Derry Jail with the assistance of

Jimmy Steele (republican) Jimmy Steele (8 August 1907 – 9 August 1970) was born in Belfast, Ireland and was one of the most prominent Irish Republican Army (IRA) men in Belfast after the Irish Civil War. Steele was an Irish republican who spent most of his life in jail ...

. This escape was referred to as "The Big Derry Jail Escape".

Timeline

* 1620: First gaol constructed at the junction of Butcher Street and the Diamond. * 1676: Second gaol constructed at Ferryquay Street. * 1791: Third gaol opens at Bishop Street. * 1824: Fourth gaol, with unique horseshoe design, opens after four years of construction at a cost of over £33,000 * 31 March 1953: Derry Gaol closes.

Executions

* 1820: John Rainey, John McQuade, and Robert Acheson,

highwaymen A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to fo ...

gang members convicted of the murder of Henry O'Hagan, escape the third gaol while awaiting execution, are recaptured, and hanged in front of the third gaol * 19 November 1864: Barbara Benett, worked as a sex worker in the local surrounding area during a meeting with one of her lovers he attacked her at which point she stabbed him 5 times consequently killing him and was hanged for her offences at aged 43 also in front of the third gaol. * 6 January 1893: John Boyle of

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...

is hanged after being convicted at Ulster

Assizes The courts of assize, or assizes (), were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes e ...

for the beating death of his wife of 10 years at Aughnacloy * 5 January 1904: Joseph Moan, convicted as the "

Trillick Trillick () is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 2,439 people in the 2011 Census. Trillick is in the Civil Parish of Kilskeery, Barony of Omagh East. It is located within the Diocese of Clogher (both R ...

murderer" at the Spring Assizes, is hanged for the murder of Rose McCann while she was on her way home to Badoney * 20 August 1908: John Berryman is hanged for the murder of his brother and sister-in-law, William Berryman and Jane Turner Berryman, near

Garvagh Garvagh ( or ''Garbhachadh'' meaning "rough field") is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is on the banks of the Agivey River, south of Coleraine on the A29 route. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,288. It is situ ...

, after the two brothers fell out over shares of a prosperous farm there, and after being convicted at the Londonderry Assizes * 12 February 1921: James McNulty was arrested and held in solitary confinement for his participation in the detonation of a train bridge near his home in

Creeslough Creeslough ( , locally ; ga, An Craoslach ) is a village in County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the t ...

, Co. Donegal. He served two years and was released in 1923."Donegal & The Civil War The Untold Story", Liam O'Duibhir, 2011 (Pages 42-44) * 8 February 1923: William Rooney is hanged for kicking 21-year-old Gunnings Mill factory worker Lilly Johnston to death in

Cookstown Cookstown ( ga, An Chorr Chríochach, IPA: �anˠˈxoːɾˠɾˠˈçɾʲiːxəx is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the fourth largest town in the county and had a population of 11,599 in the 2011 census. It, along with Maghe ...

, after being convicted at the Ulster Winter Assizes in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Folk song

"Derry Gaol" is also another title used for the folk song "

The Maid Freed from the Gallows "The Maid Freed from the Gallows" is one of many titles of a centuries-old folk song about a condemned maiden pleading for someone to buy her freedom from the executioner. In the collection of ballads compiled by Francis James Child in the late ...

"; some versions of the lyrics bemoan that there is "''no release''" from the Derry Gaol.

References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures in Derry (city) Defunct prisons in Northern Ireland History of Derry (city)