This is one place you MUST visit when you are in Dublin.

This jail held the leaders of the Easter Uprising of 1916 and they were executed here. There is a guided tour which lasts about an hour and costs 5 Euro. It is given in English but the talk is VERY fast, and of a detailed political nature. I had difficulty following it as the tour guide had a very pronounced accent and I wondered how much a non-English speaker would actually understand. The building is exceptionally cold and dark in places, especially the old wing, and you can get a feel of how life must have been for prisoners held there.

Kilmainham Jail is now the biggest unoccupied jail in Ireland. It opened in 1796, and closed in 1924. Leaders of the rebellions of 1798, 1803, 1848, 1867 and 1916 were detained here. Famous names like Robert Emmet, Thomas Francis Meagher, Charles Stewart Parnell, DeValera and all the leaders of the 1916 Rising, were all interned in the jail. At the execution of the 1916 leaders in Kilmainham jail they were blindfolded and a piece of paper cloth was put on each chest as a target. The soldiers then passed their rifles behind them to be loaded because one of the rifles was loaded with a blank round so none of them knew for sure that they had shot anyone. A visit to the jail includes a guided tour and exhibition which will cost you €5. You can enter the jail without having the tour to see the exhibition it won't cost you anything.

Opening times

 from April to September 9.30am to 5pm daily. October to March Mon to Sat 9.30 to 4pm.

Admission

Adults £3, Children & Students £1.25, Senior Citizens £2

URL: http://www.kilmainham-gaol.com/

Website: http://62.73.177.39/en/HistoricSites/DublinArea/KilmainhamGaolDublin/