Went to the Crumlin road jail as it's the top ranked attraction on trip advisor. It was interesting that the site is owned by the Govt but run by a private company. It cost £6.50 (had a £2 discount coupon). The last tour of the day is at 4:30pm but it's also cool that the main building is open till late because of the restaurant located inside. Hearing about what went on was truly horrific but overall this was an okay experience for me. I think I was expecting more info about the troubles and the political prisoners but that wasn't really our tour guide's focus. He also started the tour by asking for volunteers but nothing was done involving a volunteer! It's an hour's tour and the visit to the tunnel plus the hangman info was the most interesting bits of the tour for me. Another tip - Don't miss checking out the beautiful but now derelict courthouse opposite the street. The govt sold it for £1 but it's going to take a fair bit of bob to put it back to rights! So overall it was interesting tour but maybe Note: #222 of Yelp 100 challenge for 2016 read more

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I had been meaning to come here for absolutely years, and just never got around to it. I am a huge fan of anything of historical interest, however my first visit, surprisingly, was for the Ghost tour this Halloween! I booked the tickets online and came along this October hoping for a spooky experience. We were greeted at the gates by security who explained how to get around into the car park, and got parked up with no issues. We waited in the coffee shop 'The Crum' - and had a wine and beer each prior to the tour. When the tour started, we were initially taken into a holding area, and then began by being taken into the tunnel linking the jail to the courthouse, where allegedly, paranormal activity has taken place! Unfortunately (or thankfully, maybe) we experienced no such activity on our trip. We were then taken into a side room where an employee was said to have met a grisly end, and we were instructed to record audio on our phones. Next, we were taken to one of the wings where we could see the cells (and inside the cells) and last but not least, we were shown to the condemned man's cell, and behind the book case to the gallows, before being taken down into the basement. We didn't experience any ghostly going's on in our trip, but I would definitely come back again, this time during the day, so I can get a proper look at the inside of the jail, since the tour I did was in the dark or low light. Recommended! read more

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I love expanding the old cranium, it gives you that slightly smug feeling that you can't replicate. Of course by expanding the cranium I mean learning. Being a bit of a History buff I was always going to love Crumlin Road Goal. The corridors and cells are steeped in history and every corner you turn throws up another fascinating story. The tour guides do well to cram in 150 years of history in to around 75 minutes. In truth the tour could have gone on for 4 hours and I wouldn't have been bored. I've heard the paranormal tours and ghost tours are just as interesting but have the added excitement of a few spooky happenings thrown in for good measure. At £8.50 for an adult entry I consider this good value - there's also a family rate on offer if you're in a group. The tour offers something really different in Belfast and presents a chance to learn a little bit more about the History of our city. read more

This wee tour gave me goosebumps. Our tour guide was a very knowledgable guy who definitely knew his stuff. Including a tale of a 12 year old starving homeless boy, who was due to be hanged at Crumlin road for stealing a piece of linen. He hanged himself the night before he was due to be executed. Very sad. Thank god the world has become more civilised. Anyway... Walking around inside this place was great! Getting to see the prisoners cells, the condemned cell and the gallows was really creepy. The place was so immaculate you'd think prisoners had just been whisked away to let us have our tour. Thought it was a little pricey for what it was. But I guess given the size of the building the upkeep costs for such a place must be insane. Free parking here too btw. Just make sure you drive around the side of it. As there's not many spaces in front of the building. It's not the kind of place you're likely to visit again after being there. But definitely worth the history lesson and experience. read more

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Great place to visit and learn about the history of Northern Ireland. The tour is great. Very informative with lots of bits and pieces of information thrown in about the everyday life at the jail in addition to all the history. Takes you to all the important places inside the jail and is quite well structured The guides are very knowledgeable and try their best to make the tours interesting and fun and overall a great experience. The price is very reasonable and one can buy tickets online or just show up at the gate. Went in the middle of the day on a Saturday and the tour wasn't at all crowded. Would recommend for a visit when in town. read more

Crumlin Road Jail - The reveal of the execution chamber is fun interesting. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Belfast, BFS

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I took a tour of this jail last October. It wasn't any ordinary tour either - it was a ghost tour! That may not be your thing (to be honest, it turned out it wasn't really mine, either!), but the tour of the jail was fantastic in itself. Being a Victorian jail, Crumlin has seen Irish history from the Famine to the Troubles unfold in its cells, so there is plenty of history to be had. One of the nice touches was finding out that for a long time, suffragettes occupied a lot of the jail. It's nice to know that not all Irish history is about "us and them"! As part of the ghost part of our tour, we were taken right down into the bowels of the building, which was at once eerie and fascinating. The tour guides themselves were ex-inmates (nothing too serious though. Ours was, in his own words "in for being a stupid kid and throwing things at the police"). Also, the two guides were from the two sides of the community. This meant the tour was balanced, which was great, especially when it came to telling the modern history of the jail. All in all, this is a great museum in Belfast that not a lot of people would think of going to. It's full of history and has just the right amount of macabre to keep even the uninterested happy! read more

My fiancé and I had a great time learning about this prison in Belfast, Ireland. We are from the States, so we learned a lot during our trip in general about Northern Ireland's "Troubles" (the civil war that lasted from the 1960s-90s!) and this prison was filled to almost triple its capacity during these times. The prison has since closed and is now open to tours (and party bookings!). The prison was originally built in the 19th century and housed men,women AND children--one of its more interesting facts! Obviously things have changed! Our tour guide was knowledgable and had a great sense of humor, which is always a plus: when a tour is both intriguing and fun! The tour takes you all over the prison and even underground where a tunnel still exists that was used to walk prisoners to the court house across the street. Its supposedly one of the more haunted places in the prison, with the ghost of a little girl and guardsmen keeping watch! Spooky! I highly suggest this tour. But bring a jacket--its chilly! read more

I was here with a group of classmates to take a tour and learn more about the history of the gaol. Our tour guide, Henry, was super informative and knowledgeable about the background of the gaol and the history of The Troubles. If you're in the area and are interested in learning more about the history of Ireland, or just history in general, then I highly recommend this tour. read more

This was a fantastic tour. Gavin, our host, was about the best tour guide we could have imagined. He regaled us with stories, both happy and sad, and taught us a bit of the history of the area as well. Our 1:20 tour was too short, I believe by both ours and Gavin's standards. So good. Well worth the trip. Well worth the price as well. And then some!! Enjoy. read more

There is an awful lot of eerie and wholly interesting history in this place. Crumlin Road jail is the place to see how prison was back not that long ago - and of course the idea of hanging. Built in 1845 this place has been praised for its rich history and such has been listed a grade A building. Around 25,000 prisoners were held here during the prison's some 150 years of faithful service. And, as taught by my media law lecturer, the last man hung in Belfast? Robert McGladdery was the last man hanged in Belfast on 20th December 1961 in Crumlin Road, originally convicted of murder for the murder of Pearl Gamble. There you go. read more

The website states it will be closed til Autumn 2011 for renovations. ::sad face:: I really wanted to see it!

This evening a group of us were treated to a private tour of the Gaol, a three course Avocado meal in Cuffs Grill Bar and live music by Michael Kerr. The event was hosted by i3 Digital. Adrian, the MD, was telling me that they employ 30 people and one of their clients is The California Avocado Commission, an organisation which has 5000 members. What a great way to pay homage to the avocado.I've visited the Gaol a few times, last time was a few years ago and I must say there have been many good improvements. Firstly there's a dedicated car park further up the road and easy access to reception.Our guide was excellent and certainly knew his history. He showed us the tunnel, the circle, the 4 wings, some cells, the execution room and hanging ropes (17 men were executed here). Also he showed us roughly where the bodies were buried. He also explained that when first few men were executed it was in public and this was treated as a party and lots of drink was consumed. The next day after the hanging was over people suffered with a "hang-over"!! If your lucky you might see the ghost of Isobel or the warden!!!!After our tour we were treated to a lovely 3 course avocado based meal to celebrate National Avocado Day!!The restaurant itself was very intimate with low ceilings and there was a nice vibe about the place.The menu was a set menu. The starter was a salad of smoked chicken, a fan of avocado with leaves and a raspberry dressing. The presentation was lovely and the sharpness and sweetness of the dressing worked well with the creamy avocado however I didn't detect any smokiness in the chicken, which was moist and succulent.The main course was poached salmon, broccoli, carrot, potato dauphinois served with avocado cream. Again presentation was good, all the components were piping hot, vegetables were crunchy, dauphinois was superb, salmon was nice and firm and the avocado cream really brought the dish to life. The portion size was perfect.Instead of dessert we were served a California Avo Colado. This is a twist on the classic pina colada and consisted of pineapple, cream, avocado and rum. I chose the Mocktail (no rum). Again a refreshing, creamy and tasty drink.The staff were fantastic and a credit to the restaurant. As an Avocado fan I loved the meal!! read more