Crumlin Road Gaol finds measure of new life in whiskey distillery

Part of Crumlin Road Gaol in north Belfast has been transformed into a whiskey distillery and visitor centre.

It represents an investment of £30m by its American owners, supported by about £2m in government grants.

It was officially opened by Stormont ministers on Wednesday, including the economy minister who spent time in the jail as a republican prisoner.

Conor Murphy said his return to the jail "epitomises the story of transformation" in Northern Ireland.

"I was resident here, not voluntarily," he said, "It's remarkable to be back in here to see how it is transformed.

"A building like this was synonymous at that time with the Troubles, with imprisonment, with riots, with killings, with bombings.

"Now it's a place we are able to bring tourists to, where we are able to tell the story of our conflicted past but also tell the story of the opportunity that has now been created out of this building."

Mr Murphy added that the distillery will be "a mecca for tourism" and a "must-see sight on the tourism trail".

"It has a distillery and the story of the distillery but also this building has its own very unique history going back over many generations," he said.

Joe Babiec, managing director of American investors Belfast Distillery Company, said it was "a great opportunity to build a unique distillery and visitor attraction".

"But right from the beginning we became aware this is much bigger than just building a company," he added.

"This is about contributing to the transformation of a really important neighbourhood and the transformation in Northern Ireland which is ongoing and we wanted to be a part of that.

"We did not appreciate just how complicated a job this would be but the way it's turned out has exceeded our expectations."

The distillery will produce McConnell's Irish Whisky.

The brand has been re-launched by its American investors - but it traces its Belfast roots back to 1776.

John Kelly, chief executive of McConnell's, is from north Belfast. He said that bringing distilling back to the area has been "a real thrill".

He added: "A lot of whiskey enthusiasts would travel to Dublin and then go south.

"But having two distilleries in Belfast and some great distilleries in County Down and Bushmills gives Belfast and Northern Ireland a great opportunity to bring whiskey tourists north."

Whiskey will be available from the distillery from 2029.