A new whisky distillery in a former Belfast prison which once housed paramilitary prisoners “epitomises the journey of transformation”, a Stormont minister has said.
Economy Minister Conor Murphy, who was once held in the Crumlin Road Gaol accused of Provisional IRA membership, also described himself as a living embodiment of the process.
The jail housed scores of political prisoners up to its closure in 1996, before reopening its imposing Victorian doors as a tourist attraction in 2012.
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly were also among five Stormont ministers who celebrated the official opening of McConnell’s Distillery and Visitor Experience on Wednesday, along with US special economic envoy Joe Kennedy.
The former prison’s A wing has been transformed by Belfast Distillery Company for the project in the Grade A-listed building.
The public-private partnership – with funding from the Department for Communities, Invest NI and Santander Bank – is providing employment for 34 people and aims to attract 100,000 visitors annually.
McConnell’s chief executive John Kelly said he is very proud of the vision being realised and the former jail becoming the home of McConnell’s Irish Whisky, which was originally launched in Belfast in 1776.
Ms O’Neill said the transformation of the historic site in north Belfast “lifts the area up”, and said there was a strong turnout of ministers because they believe in the transformation of the site.
Ms Little-Pengelly described the project as a great example of what external investment can do.
Mr Murphy was held in the same wing where the distillery is now located, in 1981.
He told media: “I was a resident here, not voluntarily, but I was a resident here for a period, and it was a very different place, so it is remarkable to be back in here to see how that has transformed.
“I think it probably epitomises the story of transformation, of moving from conflict and division to where we are now, the chance of opportunity, of hope.
“Particularly a building like this which was synonymous at that time with the Troubles, with imprisonment, with riots, with killings, with bombings, now being a place where we would bring tourists to, where we are able to tell the story of our own conflicted past in a way which doesn’t do damage to anyone but also to tell the story of the opportunity that has now been created out of this building.
“This building has developed not only into a business, a whisky distillery, an exporting business, which is something we’re looking to encourage, but also the development of this building to turn it into something which people want to see.
“It epitomises that journey. I suppose I am a living personification of that, having been resident here down the stairs for some time, but I am thrilled to be back here and it is amazing to see the difference.”
Asked whether there was any alcohol available in the prison in the 1980s, Mr Murphy added: “Not made to the standard that McConnell’s make it… a few people tried their hands at distilling then, thankfully I didn’t have to experience any of it.”