Cloverhill prison expansion contract signed as capacity set to exceed 700

Jim O'Callaghan

The contract has been awarded to JJ Rhatigan & Co, with construction expected to take 22 months.

The project is the largest prison building scheme undertaken by the Irish Prison Service in several years and forms part of a wider programme expected to deliver more than 1,500 additional prison spaces between 2024 and 2031 to tackle overcrowding.

The four-storey extension to Block D will provide 143 new cells with capacity for up to 270 prisoners.

Mr O’Callaghan said: “I am extremely pleased to sign the contract for the Cloverhill Prison development project today. It is an important step in the expansion of our prison estate which I committed to since taking office. This reflects the Government’s determination to invest in our prisons, increase capacity on a large-scale, enhance community safety and provide rehabilitation to all those in custody.

“The Cloverhill development is a key project within our national expansion programme and will provide high-quality, modern accommodation that strengthens safety and helps ensure the best outcomes for those in custodial care.

“This programme will ensure that the Irish Prison Service delivers a prison system that meets the needs of a modern justice sector and enables staff to work in safe and suitable surroundings.”

Irish Prison Service director general Caron McCaffrey said: “The Irish Prison Service is currently undertaking the largest prison building programme in the history of the State.

“The signing of the contract today for an extension of Cloverhill is an important milestone in the delivery of that programme which will help meet the needs of both those in our care and the staff who work in our prisons every day.”

The government has allocated a record €67.9 million in capital funding to the Irish Prison Service in 2026 as part of a €528m investment programme running to 2030, with further expansion planned at Cork, Wheatfield and Midlands prisons, alongside development work on a new prison at Thornton in north County Dublin.