Kilmainham Gaol

A jail is one of the locations that best evokes Dublin's occasionally violent past.
There is a strong sense of history in this place because it was the site of the 1916 Rising's leaders' executions, making it significant to the Irish uprising.
You won't encounter any inmates because it hasn't been used since 1924; instead, you'll see townspeople roaming around the lovely grounds.

Built in 1796 Kilmainham Gaol museum is a former prison and largest unoccupied goals in Europe and Largest preserved Victorian jail in Europe. It was opened as a jail and held generations of criminals. Public hangings took place at the front of the prison, but later in 1891 a small hanging room was built in prison for public and private hanging. The prison conditions were extremely bad: one small cell would be filled with 5 people: man, woman and even children. They were given one candle per 2 weeks for heath and light.

Later on, the prison has held countless Irish revolutionaries- many of most important historical figures spent time in this jail, for some of them it was a place, where they were executed.

In 1960’s the jail was restored and now is one of the biggest historical attractions in Dublin, offering guided tours. It’s extremely popular historic attraction in Dublin, where lots of film scenes were made, as well as video clip for U2 and a few BBC programmes.

Kilmainham Gaol is more than a prison and witnessed the most important steps in Irish history. It’s a very popular and a must to see Dublin attraction, so book you tickets in advance, to avoid disappointment.