Éire prison guides

Irish prisons: IPS guides, visits, and how to locate a prisoner

The Irish Prison Service publishes useful family pages and a visit-booking culture that is closer to the UK than to a US roster. What it does not publish is who is on each landing. Mountjoy, Cloverhill and the Midlands each need their own instructions. The Republic uses 26 counties on this site — not the four historic provinces as prison filters, and not Northern Ireland (that sits under the UK hub).

Dublin locals versus the national sentenced estate

Cloverhill is the main remand jail for the Dublin courts. Mountjoy is the city’s sentenced local, with the Dóchas Centre next door for women. Wheatfield, the Midlands and Portlaoise sit further out and take a different mix of sentences. Booking a Cloverhill slot because someone was “in a Dublin prison” is a classic wasted Saturday.

IPS visitor booking is establishment-specific. Bring photo ID. Money and property follow IPS rules, not a US commissary app.

How Ireland is carved up on this site

Ireland (Éire) is a separate country folder — not a tab on a mixed European roster, and not a US state code. The analogue of a US state here is the first-level unit: Counties. The Republic uses 26 counties on this site — not the four historic provinces as prison filters, and not Northern Ireland (that sits under the UK hub). Dublin is a county and a city with several houses; Cork, Limerick and Portlaoise are different counties and different gates. Open a county page when you already know the slice of Ireland; stay on this hub when you need the national rules, the official locator, and the list of those units.

The Irish Prison Service runs Cloverhill (Dublin remand), Mountjoy, the Dóchas Centre, Wheatfield, Midlands, Portlaoise, Cork and Limerick among others. There is no public IPS inmate search. Facility articles under /ireland/ are building guides (address, operator, how a visit is booked). They are not who-is-inside tables. If a county has few prison guides, that is coverage on this site, not an empty prison system. Searching ‘Ireland jail roster’ like a US county, or crossing into Newry/Belfast with an IPS booking. The border is a different prison service.

Finding someone held in Ireland

Ireland does not publish a Google-style inmate spreadsheet. Irish Prison Service is the named official route (www.irishprisons.ie/). IPS or the solicitor. A ‘Dublin prison’ rumour is not Cloverhill. Portlaoise high security is not Midlands just because both sit in the midlands geographically. The Irish Prison Service does not operate a public inmate search. Confirm visits and prisoner location through official IPS channels.

A US reader used to sheriff websites will type “Ireland inmate search” and find nothing of the kind. That is the law. Court lists, Facebook groups and paid “worldwide jail” products are not Irish Prison Service. If the person was remanded overnight, reception can lag; if they were transferred out of the county you had in mind, the old desk is the wrong door. Use the county pages below to stop treating Dublin as a synonym for the whole country.

Visits, money and staying in touch

Visiting in Ireland is not a US-style walk-up. IPS booking is establishment-specific. Photo ID, the prisoner’s visitor list, and the slot on the IPS notice. Money and property follow IPS rules. Where a facility guide on this site quotes hours, they were taken from that establishment’s official page — re-check the day before you travel. This country hub will not invent a national timetable.

Dress codes, dog searches and what you may carry are house rules. Money and remote contact, where they exist, go through the official national channel — not a personal transfer to a cellmate. Dublin Airport still leaves a west-city or Cloverhill trip that is not O’Connell Street. Cork and Shannon airports do not serve Portlaoise. Do not treat a Belfast visit as this country — NIPS is UK.

Travel, borders and the wrong-gate problem

Dublin Airport still leaves a west-city or Cloverhill trip that is not O’Connell Street. Cork and Shannon airports do not serve Portlaoise. Do not treat a Belfast visit as this country — NIPS is UK. Print the gate address from the official prison page, not from a maps pin that only names Dublin or “Irish prison”. Neighbouring countries on this site have their own URLs; a cheaper flight into the next capital is not a visiting permit.

Searching ‘Ireland jail roster’ like a US county, or crossing into Newry/Belfast with an IPS booking. The border is a different prison service. If you only know a town name, match it to a county first, then to a facility guide. Confusing one county of Ireland with another is the most common way to book the wrong visit.

Counties of Ireland — each on its own URL

Ireland is not mixed with the United States or with other European countries. Below is this country’s own first-level map (Counties). Open a unit for a longer article on how custody, visits and travel actually work there. US readers looking for a county inmate spreadsheet will not find one: Ireland does not publish that, and neither do we.

Counties

26 pages, written so Ireland does not collapse into a single mixed list. This is the analogue of opening a US state after you choose the United States.

county · CarlowCarlowCarlow is a county of Ireland, and it has to be treated as its own map — not a row on a mixed European list, and not a US county jail roster. County Carlow is a small south-Leinster county on the Barrow, squeezed between Kilkenny, Kildare and Wicklow. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Carlow on this site.Open this area →county · CavanCavanIreland does not publish a Google-style inmate spreadsheet for Cavan. This page is the county hub: how the area is organised, how families actually enquire, and which facility guides we have published. County Cavan is Ulster-in-the-Republic, lake country on the Fermanagh border. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Cavan on this site.Open this area →county · EnnisClareClare is a county of Ireland, and it has to be treated as its own map — not a row on a mixed European list, and not a US county jail roster. County Clare is the Atlantic edge: Ennis, Shannon Airport, the Burren, the Shannon estuary opposite Limerick. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Clare on this site.Open this area →county · CorkCorkCork is a county of Ireland, and it has to be treated as its own map — not a row on a mixed European list, and not a US county jail roster. County Cork is the largest county: Cork city, West Cork, the harbour, a true regional capital. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Cork on this site.Open this area →county · LiffordDonegalDonegal is a county of Ireland, and it has to be treated as its own map — not a row on a mixed European list, and not a US county jail roster. County Donegal is the far north-west, wrapped around Derry, with Letterkenny as the working town and Lifford as the county town. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Donegal on this site.Open this area →county · DublinDublinIf you landed here from a search for Dublin prison, Dublin jail, or who is in custody in Dublin, you are in the right country folder: Ireland, county of Dublin. County Dublin is the capital county: city, Fingal, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, South Dublin. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Dublin on this site.Open this area →county · GalwayGalwayGalway is a county of Ireland, and it has to be treated as its own map — not a row on a mixed European list, and not a US county jail roster. County Galway runs from the city and the Corrib to Connemara and the Shannon. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Galway on this site.Open this area →county · TraleeKerryIreland does not publish a Google-style inmate spreadsheet for Kerry. This page is the county hub: how the area is organised, how families actually enquire, and which facility guides we have published. County Kerry is the south-west peninsula: Tralee, Killarney, the Iveragh and Dingle peninsulas. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Kerry on this site.Open this area →county · NaasKildareIreland does not publish a Google-style inmate spreadsheet for Kildare. This page is the county hub: how the area is organised, how families actually enquire, and which facility guides we have published. County Kildare is the western Dublin commuter belt: Naas, Newbridge, Maynooth, the Curragh. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Kildare on this site.Open this area →county · KilkennyKilkennyIreland does not publish a Google-style inmate spreadsheet for Kilkenny. This page is the county hub: how the area is organised, how families actually enquire, and which facility guides we have published. County Kilkenny is the Nore valley city-county, medieval streets and a busy circuit court. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Kilkenny on this site.Open this area →county · PortlaoiseLaoisIf you landed here from a search for Laois prison, Laois jail, or who is in custody in Laois, you are in the right country folder: Ireland, county of Laois. County Laois is the Midlands county whose county town, Portlaoise, hosts Midlands Prison and the high-security Portlaoise Prison. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Laois on this site.Open this area →county · Carrick-on-ShannonLeitrimIreland does not publish a Google-style inmate spreadsheet for Leitrim. This page is the county hub: how the area is organised, how families actually enquire, and which facility guides we have published. County Leitrim is one of the least populated counties, Shannon-side, Carrick-on-Shannon as the town. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Leitrim on this site.Open this area →county · LimerickLimerickIreland does not publish a Google-style inmate spreadsheet for Limerick. This page is the county hub: how the area is organised, how families actually enquire, and which facility guides we have published. County Limerick is the mid-west city on the Shannon, with Limerick Prison at Mulgrave Street as the local name families still use. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Limerick on this site.Open this area →county · LongfordLongfordLongford is a county of Ireland, and it has to be treated as its own map — not a row on a mixed European list, and not a US county jail roster. County Longford is a small midlands county on the N4 Dublin–Sligo road. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Longford on this site.Open this area →county · DundalkLouthIf you landed here from a search for Louth prison, Louth jail, or who is in custody in Louth, you are in the right country folder: Ireland, county of Louth. County Louth is the north-east corridor: Dundalk, Drogheda, the Border with Armagh/Down. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Louth on this site.Open this area →county · CastlebarMayoMayo is a county of Ireland, and it has to be treated as its own map — not a row on a mixed European list, and not a US county jail roster. County Mayo is the large western county: Castlebar, Westport, Ballina, Croagh Patrick country. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Mayo on this site.Open this area →county · NavanMeathIreland does not publish a Google-style inmate spreadsheet for Meath. This page is the county hub: how the area is organised, how families actually enquire, and which facility guides we have published. County Meath is royal and commuter: Navan, Trim, the M3 into Dublin. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Meath on this site.Open this area →county · MonaghanMonaghanIf you landed here from a search for Monaghan prison, Monaghan jail, or who is in custody in Monaghan, you are in the right country folder: Ireland, county of Monaghan. County Monaghan is the drumlin Border county around Monaghan town and Carrickmacross. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Monaghan on this site.Open this area →county · TullamoreOffalyOffaly is a county of Ireland, and it has to be treated as its own map — not a row on a mixed European list, and not a US county jail roster. County Offaly is Tullamore, Birr, the bog of Allen edge. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Offaly on this site.Open this area →county · RoscommonRoscommonIf you landed here from a search for Roscommon prison, Roscommon jail, or who is in custody in Roscommon, you are in the right country folder: Ireland, county of Roscommon. County Roscommon holds Castlerea Prison, the western closed house that serves Connacht men. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Roscommon on this site.Open this area →county · SligoSligoIf you landed here from a search for Sligo prison, Sligo jail, or who is in custody in Sligo, you are in the right country folder: Ireland, county of Sligo. County Sligo is the north-west town under Benbulben, N4’s endgame. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Sligo on this site.Open this area →county · ClonmelTipperaryTipperary is a county of Ireland, and it has to be treated as its own map — not a row on a mixed European list, and not a US county jail roster. County Tipperary (North and South riding in local speech) is Clonmel, Nenagh, Thurles, a large inland county. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Tipperary on this site.Open this area →county · WaterfordWaterfordWaterford is a county of Ireland, and it has to be treated as its own map — not a row on a mixed European list, and not a US county jail roster. County Waterford is the south-east city and the Copper Coast, Ireland’s oldest city as a marketing line and a real circuit court. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Waterford on this site.Open this area →county · MullingarWestmeathIf you landed here from a search for Westmeath prison, Westmeath jail, or who is in custody in Westmeath, you are in the right country folder: Ireland, county of Westmeath. County Westmeath is Mullingar and Athlone, the N6/N4 cross of the midlands. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Westmeath on this site.Open this area →county · WexfordWexfordIf you landed here from a search for Wexford prison, Wexford jail, or who is in custody in Wexford, you are in the right country folder: Ireland, county of Wexford. County Wexford is the Hook and Rosslare corridor, ferry country from Wales and France. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Wexford on this site.Open this area →county · WicklowWicklowIf you landed here from a search for Wicklow prison, Wicklow jail, or who is in custody in Wicklow, you are in the right country folder: Ireland, county of Wicklow. County Wicklow is Dublin’s southern garden: Bray, Wicklow town, the mountains. Irish Prison Service houses are national, but courts, garda districts and family travel still run on the 26 counties. There is no public inmate roster in Ireland; IPS and the courts handle location, not a Google sheet. There is no public booking log for Wicklow on this site.Open this area →

Prison guides in Ireland

Each page is written for that establishment — address, how families actually locate someone, and how visits work — not a copied country intro.

Dublin

Dublin · Remand (men)Cloverhill PrisonCloverhill on Clover Road in Clondalkin is where Dublin remand actually lives — the prison families need when someone leaves the CCJ or Cloverhill District Court, not Mountjoy’s North Circular gate.Read the guide →Dublin · Local / sentenced (men)Mountjoy PrisonMountjoy on the North Circular Road is the Dublin prison name that outlives every map redraw — a men’s local beside the Dóchas Centre where IPS visit booking is establishment-specific and there is no public occupancy search.Read the guide →Clondalkin · Closed (men)Wheatfield PrisonWheatfield sits on the Clover Road campus near Cloverhill — a closed men’s prison for sentenced prisoners that shares a postcode confusion with remand, so families must read the establishment name on the IPS letter.Read the guide →

Midlands

Portlaoise · Closed (men)Midlands PrisonMidlands Prison on the Dublin Road in Portlaoise is Ireland’s big closed men’s estate — the transfer destination Dublin families discover weeks after Cloverhill, with a Midlands commute that punishes wrong assumptions.Read the guide →

Questions families actually ask

Does Ireland have a public prison roster?
No. Location is confirmed through the Irish Prison Service or the prisoner’s legal representative.
Does CurrentPrisonList list who is in jail in Ireland today?
No. Ireland pages are geographic and procedural guides. The Irish Prison Service does not operate a public inmate search. Confirm visits and prisoner location through official IPS channels.
Why does Ireland have Counties instead of one mixed list?
The Republic uses 26 counties on this site — not the four historic provinces as prison filters, and not Northern Ireland (that sits under the UK hub). Dublin is a county and a city with several houses; Cork, Limerick and Portlaoise are different counties and different gates. Mixing those units would be the same mistake as putting Ohio inmates under California.
How do I visit a prison in Ireland?
Identify the establishment through Irish Prison Service or the lawyer, get on the visitor list, and book that house. IPS booking is establishment-specific. Photo ID, the prisoner’s visitor list, and the slot on the IPS notice. Money and property follow IPS rules. Plan travel via Dublin only if the letter actually names a house there — the county pages exist because it often does not.

Other countries

Each country is a separate area of the site so US county rosters, UK prisons and European JVA / maison d’arrêt guides never share a URL.

GBUnited Kingdom13 Nations and regions · 140 prison guidesDEGermanyDeutschland16 Länder (federal states) · 10 prison guidesFRFranceFrance13 Régions · 8 prison guidesDKDenmarkDanmark5 Regions · 3 prison guidesNLNetherlandsNederland12 Provinces · 3 prison guidesBEBelgiumBelgië / Belgique13 Regions and provinces · 3 prison guidesESSpainEspaña17 Autonomous communities · 3 prison guidesITItalyItalia20 Regioni · 4 prison guides

All countries →

Source

Confirm location, visits and hours on the official service. This site does not list who is in custody.

Official locatorIrish Prison ServiceOpen official site →