Dublin Weekend Break

Kilmainham Gaol

Kilmainham Gaol (prison) holds a special place in Irish and Dubliners history, although for reasons many would happily forget.

Today however, this prison is one of the city’s top tourist spots and it tells a story about Ireland and its fight for independence and republicanism in a very different way.

Kilmainham Gaol was opened in 1792 and it played host to many of Ireland’s most notable devotees of republicanism. It has confined the likes of James Connolly, Charles Parnell and Robert Emmet and witnessed the execution of those behind the Easter rising of 1916.

The prison, which closed in 1924, first gained notoriety for incarcerating members of the United Irishmen in 1798 and then, in the next century, the Young Irelanders. It became synonymous with republicanism, or rather the imprisoning of republicans, and developed a reputation for harsh and often unfair treatment.

The prison’s last inmate was the scholar Eamon de Valera who ultimately became leader of the Irish government and authored the Constitution of Ireland.

Today you can visit the closest thing that Ireland has to an Alcatraz and experience the claustrophobic atmosphere of the cells and the stark and bleak reality of what prison life must have been like.

The eighteenth and nineteenth century prisoners of Kilmainham Gaol were not terrorists in a modern day (IRA) sense and many are now seen as Irish heroes and freedom fighters. This prison is an eye opener for all, although not necessarily a place to take the family.

Tourist tips

The prison is found on Inchicore Road and is included in the attractions covered by a Dublin tourist pass.

It is a "must see" visitor stop for anyone interested in Irish history and its connection with the United Kingdom, or those who have never visited a prison before.