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Lucy in Dublin – Kilmainham Gaol

picture of the interior staircase in Kilmainham Goal surrounded by the cell doors

On a lovely afternoon in February my grandmother and I took a fascinating trip into Kilmainham Gaol. We did a guided tour of the jail and I have to say, our tour guide was one of the friendliest people you’d ever come across. We had the chance to have a look around the museum that has many important artefacts regarding the jail and its story.

Vintage Tea Trips cup outside of the main entrance of Kilmainham Gaol

We then met our group. We began by seeing the oldest part of the jail, where most people held here would have only committed minor crimes like stealing ect. The windows on these corridors didn’t have any glass in them so the wind, rain and the cold would get in very easily. Bear in mind, all the inmates had to heat themselves up was a candle. Unbelievably, the youngest inmate ever held in the prison was only 3 years old.

a group of people standing in Kilmainham Jail

The next place we visited was the chapel. This was where inmates would attend mass, however people would also sometimes get married here. The most famous marriage ceremony, carried out in this very room, was between Joseph Plunkett and Grace Gifford, they married just hours before Joseph’s execution.

a group of people sitting in the chapel in Kilmainham Jail

This was Grace Giffords cell. She was imprisoned after her husband’s death for her promotion of Sinn Féin policies through her work as an artist. She has a very famous and memorable cell within Kilmainham Gaol, as she created a gorgeous piece of art work on the back wall of her cell.

Entry Door to Grace Gifford's Kilmainham Jail Cell

a close up of a painted wall in Grace Gifford's Jail cell in Kilmainham Jail

Her cell was within the newer part of the jail, which has been restored in recent years and even used as a background in movies and music videos.

Interior staircase of Kilmainham Gaol

This plaque is located in the stone breakers yard, and is dedicated in memory to the people that were executed there. They were all leaders of the Easter rising, and were sentenced to death.

a stone wall with a memorial plaque on a brick wall

The cross in this image symbolises where most of the leaders were executed. However one of the leaders, James Connolly, was executed sitting down at the other end of the yard, as it was beside the gates and was easiest to get him into. He was suffering severe wounds and was executed sitting, as he couldn’t even stand due to this.

a large brick building interior corner with a cross

I found this tour extremely interesting because I learned about Irish history and the Easter Rising leaders in school. This made the tour feel sort of surreal as I was seeing the place all these people I’ve heard about all my life, died for our country, and spent some of their time.
I would definitely recommend this tour to anybody who would like to learn something new because I feel I learned a lot!
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