The research for Anatomy of a County Gaol took some three years but in reality, it was happening subconsciously for decades. In addition to the many trips to archives and libraries, there were also many field trips. The most memorable and fascinating trip was to the ruin of the supposed Elizabethan prison in the townland of Prizon near Balla in County Mayo. Surprisingly, much of the ruin remains lost to the world in the midst of a remote forest and locked in centuries old ivy, It would, in fact, not be out of place in a Grimm Brothers fairytale. The folklore tells us this was a dark and terrible place. Hopefully, an archeological survey can be conducted in the not too distant future to confirm the status of this site.
Comments