BBC COAST - Spike Island & Fort Westmoreland (now Mitchell)

[BBC Research]

Hello

I am currently completing some research for the BBC production COAST. If you haven't seen the programme before, we take a stretch of coastline around the UK/Ireland, and explore interesting stories and some of the heritage surrounding it. We are currently researching for the Cork/Kinsale area.

Particularly I am interested in Spike Island and more importantly the former Fort Westmoreland (or as it is now known, Fort Mitchell).

I am looking for anyone that might have lived on the island/fort whilst it was active and might have some interesting stories to tell. For instance, were you there when the prisoners rioted in the 1980s? If so, we would love to hear from you!

Any former prison guards or even former prisoners will also be very interesting to hear from. Also looking for any ex-military that may have been stationed on the island.

If you have a good story to tell. Please do not hesitate to contact me. My e-mail address is christopher.bryan@bbc.co.uk

I look forward to hearing from you.

[pmtts]

Coast is an excellent show. Very informative

[Goldie fish]

They need to talk to Mick Martin, if nobody else. I saw him leading another gaggle of tourists around cob-h the other day. He's the expert.

[Aidan]

You'll need more than one show ...

... to cover the Cork harbour area.

On the early history and development of the area, and of Spike in particular, you might also want to talk to Dr Colin Rynne in the Archaeology Dept in UCC, or either Prof Devoy or Prof Flanagan in the Geography Dept.

Prof Dickson in Trinity College Dublin is very good on the overall context of the development of the area in the 18th Century.

There are some British comments on the design of the harbour defences that might be worth following up also ...

http://www.fsgfort.com/Fort/27/Art4/Fort27-4.htm

There are some locals and plenty of archive material around also on those elements of the harbour's history that have become a little lost in time, such as the USN flying boat base in WWI. I gather the RN have a lot of material in Portsmouth on their facilities in the harbour also, but I'm sure you've been through there already.