Prisoner found dead in Dublin prison

A Garda investigation has opened into the death of a prisoner at the Training Unit Prison on the grounds of Mountjoy jail, Dublin, today.

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) said a man had been found in his cell at 11.30am and pronounced dead a short time later. An IPS spokesman declined to give further details.

It is understood the man was 35 and was found alone in his cell. Initial investigations suggest the death was from natural causes and not suicide or foul play.

The Training Unit is a small prison on the Mountjoy complex that can accommodate 96 prisoners.

It became the first drug-free prison in the State in 1996 and houses low-risk, adult prisoners serving up to life sentences.