top of page
Kilminham Gaol
 Courtroom where punishments would be decided. |  Court in Session |  Front doors to the jail |
|---|---|---|
 Kilmainham Gaol closed its doors in 1924 |  Kilmainham Gaol grew incredibly crowded during the great famine because prisions were required by law to feed their prisoners and it was easier for people to get food in a prison so people were committing petty crimes just to have a place to stay and food to eat. |  The thought in these times was that someone had to have a lot of time to plan out and commit a crime so the work-yards served as a place for the prisoners to perform time consuming tasks (eg- cannonball tossing and rock breaking) so that they wouldn't have time to plan a crime and recommit once they were out |
 The brick changes at the joining of these walls because the portion on the left was an addition of 96 cells that were built in 1861, a little over 60 years after the jail's opening. |  Inside the newer wing of the jail - built after surveillance studies with the idea of being able to see as many of the cells as possible all at once. |  New jail wing |
 96 cells were built in the new wing |  Kilmainham Gaol |  A look inside one of the cells - all furnishings had been removed |
 A look inside one of the cells |  The cells of famous prisoners had their names placed above the door after the prison closed down. |  This was the cell of the wife of one of the 14 Easter Rising leaders that were executed |
 Inside Mrs. Joseph Plunkett's cell she had spent her time painting this mural. |  A look at the older wing of the jail |  This portion of the jail was configured in a square, the center of which looked into the courtyard. |
 A plaque naming the leaders of the Easter Rising leaders that were executed and the dates they were killed. |  In this corner of the courtyard, only James Connolly was executed. He had been held in the hospital nearby due to an infected bullet would he obtained in battle. The doctor advised not to execute him as he would die of his wounds but he was executed anyway, sitting in a chair still in his hospital gown. The treatment of this man caused an uproar which put an end to the executions. |  The side of the courtyard where the other 13 leaders were executed |
 Kilmainham Gaol |
bottom of page