The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, today ruled out any possibility the site for the new Mountjoy prison would be changed.
The prison is to be relocated to a 150-acre site in Thorntown, north Dublin, at a cost of around €30 million.
The Minister said he would not be considering any alternative site despite strong opposition from the local community.
"I believe it is a good location for the prison. The prison service is now getting into the process of discussions with the local community so that adverse implications can be minimised."
He said even if the site for the new prison were in the Bog of Allen, there would be concerns among neighbours about the effects on their area.
He added that the site in Thorntown was reasonably near to Dublin city, accessible from the motorway and was "far away from the constant danger of drugs being projected into the prison by catapult".
PA