Loughan House Open Centre (; ) is a low-security, open detention centre in Blacklion,

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is base ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It was purchased by the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

in 1972 to be converted to a

prison 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, correc ...

facility. It is low security, and caters for male inmates. Its current governor is Mr Mark Lydon. It is run by the

Irish Prison Service The Irish Prison Service (IPS) () manages the day-to-day operation of prisons in the Republic of Ireland. Political responsibility for the Ireland's prisons rests with the Minister of the Department of Justice. Budget, staff, and figures As of ...

History

Purpose-built in 1953 as a novitiate for the White Fathers Missionary Congregation, it was opened in September 1955 and closed in 1970, with the remaining students enrolling in

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

. After it was purchased by the Department of Justice, it was renamed Loughan House.

Accommodation

The centre has an operational capacity of 140 adult male inmates who have been deemed suitable for residency in an open centre. It has a mix of single and shared rooms. All rooms are equipped with televisions.

Healthcare and Welfare Services

The centre houses a medical surgery with trained staff, which is available from 8 am to 8 pm each day. Outside these hours, a doctor is available. Serious medical emergencies are dealt with at Sligo University Hospital. A visiting dentist is also available. Psychiatrists are available on call, and a Probation and Welfare Service officer is on duty from Tuesday to Friday each week. An alcohol education programme exists and is delivered to suitable offenders.

Prisoner facilities

Various workshops are available in the centre, and operate on a voluntary basis. Computer facilities are provided to allow inmates to develop skills in that area. A gymnasium and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

alley are available for recreation.

Visits

Prisoners may be visited on any day of the year from 10am to 5pm. The visiting facilities are designed to be family friendly, and visitors can usually bring items to the centre to give to the inmates (once they have been examined to ensure that they do not contain any prohibited items such as drugs or alcohol).

Notable inmates

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan Luke 'Ming' Flanagan (born 22 January 1972) is an Irish politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Midlands–North-West constituency since 2014. He is an Independent, but sits in parliament with The ...

* Andy "The Bull" McSharry * Thomas "Slab" Murphy

Notes

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External links

''Prisons - Loughan House''
Imprisonment and detention Prisons in the Republic of Ireland White Fathers