Sean O'Riordan Spike Island was transformed into a prison in 1921 because of the substantial increase in the numbers of convicted republicans and internees in the British army’s 6th Division area.

A prison cell with the effigy of an inmate in bed is displayed during a tour guide of the former Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, Ca., Monday, May 5, 2025 ...