Opened in the 1850s, Dundalk’s new jail was constructed to replace the old facility off Crowe Street, which closed in 1854. The site of the new jail, known as “Gallows Hill,” had a grim reputation, believed to have been the location of public executions during the 1700s. Its dark history continued during the Irish Civil War, with reports of numerous killings and executions in and around the prison.

The jail ceased operations in 1931, after which the governor’s house was converted by An Garda Síochána into their North Louth headquarters following World War II. The men’s wing of the old prison was later transformed into an events venue known as the Oriel Centre, while the women’s wing became home to the County Civil Defence.

In September 1972, during The Troubles, Dundalk saw a series of riots, including an attack on the Garda station by a mob attempting to set it on fire. With such a long history of violence and death, it is little surprise that stories of hauntings persist.

One woman working in the Oriel Centre recounted seeing the shadowy figure of a man standing at the end of a cell-block wing. The figure vanished as she approached, and she noted that others had also witnessed the same apparition. It is believed to be the ghost of the builder of the New Jail, who was reportedly among its first prisoners.