The Auxiliary Workhouse

Initially there was one big workhouse. No trace of it remains but the location, near St.Raphael’s Hospital, is easy to find. That was to cater for about 1,100 people. There was such a demand for places in the workhouse that additional “Auxiliary Workhouses” were created. In many cases these were sheds, stores or outhouses in which beds were laid on the ground and people waited. The diet in a workhouse had to be worse than anything available outside. The regime was harsh with stiff punishments for those who broke rules. In total a capacity of 4,000 places was created for Youghal with the addition of six auxiliary workhouses. This is one of them. All you see today is the outline on the wall.