We had a great day at Kilmainham Gaol on Tuesday. Our guide, Michael brought on a very interesting tour of the old gaol. We learned that the youngest prisoner ever kept in the gaol was a 5 year old boy, imprisoned for stealing food. We also learned that 140 public hangings took place outside the main entrance of the gaol in front of crowds of people. During the famine the prison population exploded as people were locked up for stealing food. Conditions were extremely tough inside the prison but for many poor people they were better off in Kilmainham than in the slums of Dublin. Eamon DeValera was the last prisoner to be kept at Kilmainham before it was finally closed in 1924. Many films have been filmed at the gaol, including In the Name of the Father and The Italian Job.
See http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/dublin/kilmainhamgaol/ for more details.
I will be arranging another trip for parents in Term 2.
Thank you,
Ciara
