It is the prison in which people convicted of membership of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and other illegal paramilitary and designated terrorist organisations are usually detained.

The security features include a detachment consisting of approximately platoon strength, armed with rifles and anti-aircraft machine guns, who patrol the prison complex.

In 1902, the infamous criminal James Lynchehaun, who was in prison for the attempted murder of Agnes McDonnell, escaped unaided over the walls and made his way to America.

[7] In 1975, during an attempted escape, Tom Smith of the IRA's Dublin Brigade was shot dead by the Irish Defence Forces.

In 1946 Sean McCaughey refused to wear prison clothes and spent nearly five years naked except for a blanket in protest against harsh conditions.

[citation needed] In May 2007, an inmate named John Daly, who was serving 9 years for armed robbery, called the RTÉ radio show Liveline from inside the prison.

Items confiscated in the cell-by-cell searches included numerous mobile phones, plasma televisions and even a budgie which was smuggled into the prison by a visitor who hid the bird internally in her vagina.

[15] John Daly received many death threats from fellow inmates after calling the show and as a result was transferred to other prisons twice before his release in October 2007.