A scent summons up memories for Joe Doherty, reminiscent of the illegal poitín he once brewed while incarcerated. At Belfast’s newest distillery, he stands in front of three colossal whiskey stills. This former IRA member points to the location of his initial jailbreak attempt from over five decades ago.
He recalls, “It demanded six weeks of tireless efforts to break those bars.” Amidst the quiet of three in the morning, he and a companion from County Clare, faces disguised in darkness, ventured out the window only to be caught scaling the wall.
Doherty found himself imprisoned on the second level of the old A-Wing at the erstwhile Crumlin Road Gaol in the city’s north, a place he was confined to on three separate occasions during the Troubles.
In 1981, his picture could be seen on “Wanted” notices across airports and railway stations, following a daring escape from “The Crum” along with seven fellow IRA inmates, all donning disguises as prison authority figures and lawyers.
Following a heated exchange of gunfire in broad daylight outside the Victorian-era penitentiary, Doherty was prompted to escape to the United States the subsequent year – signifying his importance, an intersection in New York brandishes his name. The year was 1983 when he was apprehended, serving beer to trio of FBI agents at Manhattan’s Clancy’s Bar.
Now, aged 69 and a community aid, he observes “master distiller” Graeme Millar uncapping a brass rectangular box, rubbing a clear liquid onto his hand.
The scent is identified by Millar as being potent and fruity, which Doherty amusingly aligns with memories of illicitly brewed “Long Kesh poitín”.
He played out the fond recollection of how he’d introduce a raspberry or gobstopper in that prison located on Lisburn’s fringes, to enhance the flavour.
“My mother would sneak in a couple of pairs of nylons, which I used for straining… I was responsible for the plumbing and all the pipework. The process would keep me awake all night, observing it drip, drop, drip,” Doherty reminisces. “I only wish it had turned out like that …”, he added.
Constructed between 1846 and 1850, Crumlin Road Gaol, previously labelled as “Europe’s Alcatraz”, accommodated over 25,000 inmates, ranging from suffragettes to high-profile figures like Éamon de Valera, Rev Ian Paisley, and Gerry Adams, before it ceased operation in 1996. Seventeen individuals met their end by hanging at this facility, with the final execution taking place in 1961. Of these, 15 were laid to rest in unbleached graves within the jail’s premises.
In 2007, the correlated C-Wing was repurposed as a tourist attraction which quickly became popular among international tourists eager to explore the city’s disturbing history.
A notable prisoner, who was sentenced in 1981 to life in prison in absentia for his involvement in the assassination of Captain Herbert Westmacott, the highest-ranking SAS officer to be killed during the Northern Ireland conflict, previously conducted tours at the prison and has given joint lectures to youth groups alongside loyalists.
After being deported from the United States in 1992, this prisoner, Doherty, fulfilled the remainder of his sentence at Maze/Long Kesh prison and was released in 1998 under the Good Friday Agreement conditions. He habitually acknowledges and blesses the row of residences where Westmacott tragically died during a 1980 firefight between the SAS and the IRA. He asserts that, like many others, Westmacott was a casualty of the conflict.
During the climax of the Troubles, approximately 2,000 republicans and loyalists were held in this commanding grey basalt structure, often sharing a cell with three other inmates.
Colin Halliday, a former loyalist prisoner and member of the Ulster Defence Association, who was detained in the former C-Wing for nearly a year in 1991, characterized the situation as survival of the fittest. He also reported sharing post-conflict discussions with Doherty from within the jail walls.
Halliday recalls the dreadful prison life during his time. The prisoners were confined within the four walls of their cell for 23-hour a day, every other day- the republicans had their turn on alternate days. Every aspect of their lives, including meals, sleep and personal hygiene, took place in the same cell, often with only one shower a week. The environment was suffused with hate, 24/7. Halliday distinctly remembers an incident in which a bomb took down two loyalist prisoners in the prison canteen on a peaceful Sunday afternoon, signifying the extent of severity.
Fast forward to today, in the same place stands a bustling McConnell’s Irish Whiskey distillery which swung its doors open in March. In just under 20 months of planning and a massive injection of £30 million (€35 million), the once abandoned and pigeon-overrun republican wing of the prison has been transformed into the biggest whiskey production facility Belfast has seen since the late 1930’s.
The third floor of A-wing now houses a 16-seater cocktail bar and conference room, flanking Doherty’s former cell. Doherty commends the metamorphosis of the place, describing its transformation as extraordinary.
The vision of turning the prison to the distillery was conceived by Belfast lottery winner and bus driver, Peter Lavery, over ten years back. Lavery also helped set up Titanic Distillers, which started operations in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter recently. This ambitious plan attracted attention from American investors, namely the Belfast Distillery Company. They filed a planning request in 2019 at Crumlin Road Gaol, leading to a remarkable revival of the project which saw an investment of $20 million. The company, which revived the McConnell’s Whiskey brand, with its roots in Belfast dating back to 1776, four years ago, also managed to retain some of the original numbering on the old cell doors.
Millar, a key member of the company, shared their unique addition of a 30-tonne malt silo – a typical distillery equipment, but never installed anywhere else like this before.
The distillery apparatus is capable of producing 610,000 litres of raw spirit, though this won’t reach the consumer market for at least half a decade, according to John Kelly, the head of McConnell’s. Kelly, an alumnus of St Malachy’s school which was nestled behind the prison walls, can recall his past vividly. The new distillery has the potential to produce enough for four million bottles annually, potentially providing employment for 50 people.
Kelly, who hails from north Belfast, confessed that he felt excited and quite moved when he visited the prison after accepting the leadership role for the new venture which incorporates an operational distillery and visitor centre. He described the moment the brewing equipment and exhibits were installed as a significant landmark. The official launch was attended by Joe Kennedy, the US Special Economic Envoy, First Minister Michelle O’Neill, and three additional Stormont Ministers. About £2 million of government funding has been allocated towards this initiative.
As our reporter was exiting the distillery, a group of pre-booked tourists from Tennessee arrived for their whiskey tour. Yet, the disturbing past of Crumlin Road Gaol should not be forgotten, according to Colin Halliday. While he recognises the employment opportunities and economic value of the distillery, he believes the prison’s history should not be overlooked.
Looking at the Grade A listed building, Doherty views the distillery as a positive addition, suggesting that the two vacant wings could find alternate uses. He comments on the role of this distillery in both providing employment and attracting people to the city. It is also intended as a place for visitors to reflect on its past as a prison.