Spike Island, or Fort Mitchel Prison as it is known on Yelp is one of the really cool sites to see in Ireland.
You must buy your ticket in advance as you have to take a small ferry across the way. It is a flat fare for the visit, regardless of whether or not you follow the tour guide around that is provided for you.
You have a set arrival and departure time, which is 4 hours and is enough to see most of the things on the island as long as you keep moving at a solid pace. If you meander or take a long lunch at the cafeteria there, you will probably run out of time and be unable to finish.
This place has quite the history as was an active military base followed by a prison for many years. Parts of it have been rebuilt and made to look original while others remain in their burned out run down condition.
There are a variety of small museums on site, all included in your fare - one for the riots and another for military history. We ran out of time to make the 3rd and 4th ones. Overall, I recommend visiting here. read more