Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin
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Kilmainham Gaol, DublinFee-Paying Admission Tourist Attraction in Ireland #9Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison located in Kilmainham some 4km from Dublin city centre and is well served by buses and the Luas tram service. The site is of huge historical importance in Ireland and is the jail where many leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed by the British. The majority of the Irish leaders in the rebellions of 1798, 1803, 1848, 1867 and 1916 were imprisoned there including Robert Emmet, Charels Stewart Parnell, Michael Davitt and Padraig Pearse. 
Built in 1796 the Gaol had a fearsome reputation. Governments of the fledgling Irish State had considered demolishing the prison during the 1930s and 1940s but the cost of the demolition was prohibitive. A new proposal to demolish the site in the 1950s was thwarted when the Kilmainham Jail Restoration Society was formed with the aim of restoring the prison using private donations and thus involving less cost to the State. In 1960 a workforce of 60 volunteers set about the task of removing decades of neglect, rubble, plant overgrowth and dangerous masonry. The Gaol was re-opened in 1971 and houses a museum on the history of Irish nationalism offering guided tours (1 hour) of the building. There is a prisoner art gallery on the first floor. In terms of cultural importance Kilmainham Gaol is right up there at the top of the Irish 'must-see' list. Wrap-up well, allow a full morning or afternoon for your visit. Phoenix Park with Dublin Zoo and Farmleigh House are just across the River Liffey, a short taxi-ride away if you really want to make a day of it! Find out more at: http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/dublin/kilmainhamgaol/ |
Video about the Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin |
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