"It looks like a youth club": The open prison that lets NI’s most violent men roam free episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 26, 2025 · 23 MIN

"It looks like a youth club": The open prison that lets NI’s most violent men roam free

from The BelTel

Burren House is a part of Northern Ireland’s prison system that many of us have never heard of. It’s a pre-release open prison – supposedly intended to prepare murderers, sex offenders and others for release back into our communities. Some of the 25 criminals held in Burren House include serial sex attacker Tom Ward and former academic Gerry O’Kane, who stabbed his wife to death in a jealous rage. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Sunday Life’s Ciaran Barnes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Nov 26, 2025

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"It looks like a youth club": The open prison that lets NI’s most violent men roam free

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