Avocados, almond milk and grapefruit were among the items on the menu for subversive prisoners at the country’s highest-security jail.
Jailed paramilitaries at Portlaoise Prison – who include Garda Jerry Mccabe’s killer Pearse Mcauley – can order whatever they want except booze under special arrangements.
Order sheets reveal their specific tastes with prisoners stocking up on eclairs, wine gums, Tayto crisps, and Fanta orange for pre-Christmas celebrations.
One request slip from December 21 asked for the purchase of spray cream, Lindt hot chocolate, and marshmallows to top off the hot cocoa treat.
Another for €18.70 on the same date sought a box of Christmas cards, microwavable porridge, two pizzas, cocktail sausages, and a pack of chicken goujons.
Prisoners also stocked up for a Christmas fry-up, splashing out €43.20 on sausages, black and white pudding, mushrooms and smoked rashers.
Selection boxes were also on the menu with one order sheet seeking two large Galaxy selection boxes and a Cadbury Medium Santa one. Prisoners even kept up to date on specials available in local shops, saying that a large box of Tunnock’s tea cakes should be bought at the “offer-only” price of €9.99.
An order sheet from December 23 asked for 10 Cadbury Milk Trays, each costing €4.40; but if they weren’t available, prisoners would make do with Ferrero Rocher instead.
Also on that list were a 12-pack of Lucozade cans, Dr Oetker pizzas, potato wedges, and a large pack of Crunchy Nut cornflakes.
A Christmas Eve order sought Starbucks coffee pods for a Dolce Gusto coffee machine.
Prisoners also requested a pack of Magnum Double Gold Caramel Billionaire ice creams, and multi-packs of Lucozade Sport and chewing gum.
It wasn’t all junk food and treats however, with some prisoners seeking out healthier options.
One order from December 29 listed a request for a small bottle of cod liver oil capsules, a bottle of honey, and a slightly less healthy 30-gram pack of Amber Leaf tobacco.
Another from mid-December sought a five-litre bottle of still water, a grapefruit and an avocado.
Almond milk was also purchased as part of a wider order for peanut butter, cashew nuts, corn-fed hen eggs, and three bags of frozen raspberries.
A New Year’s feast was also prepared for the prisoners, according to the order sheets, with prison officers dispatched with a lengthy shopping list.
On it were three packs of mince, two packs of brioche buns, half a pound of sausages, a bag of spuds, a tub of burger sauce, and a multipack of Pepsi Max.
There was also a Mexican option available with a fajita kit, a pack of peppers, a net of garlic, two Abrakebabra sauces, seasoning, and a pack of Uncle Ben Mexican rice ordered.
Orders were received for toiletries from prisoners with one saying they wanted two bottles of shower gel “Radox or whatever (not L’oreal)”.
Anti-dandruff shampoo was purchased in a half-price sale, as were Pampers sensitive fragrance body wipes.
The order sheets, which were released under FOI legislation and cover the last two weeks of 2021, detail expenditure upwards of €1,200.
According to figures earlier this week, there are currently 215 prisoners at the high-security jail out of a bed capacity of 291, an occupancy rate of 74%.
Almond milk was part of a wider order for peanut butter, cashew nuts, corn-fed eggs, and three bags of raspberries.
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