Kilmainham Gaol

Elizabeth and I decided to trek around Dublin Friday after class: to Kilmainham Gaol...an ancient infamous prison in Dublin. Leaders of rebellions were retained in the over 200 year-old building. It was one of the most fascinating things I have seen in Dublin...and the history is amazing. Just a few photos to show what it is.







Each of the doors, you can see from the spiral staircase, was about 5'4'' tall, as our tour guide noted that no man was above this height.































The painting below was painted by a woman detained in the prison...in one of her final days, I believe before her death. This was her cell, and the photo was taken through the peep-hole of the door. The building is the jail itself. It was in these yards where many executions, including hangings took place.





I thought this photo was really ominous.














If you read closely, I believe it says "Beware of the risen people". I am not sure who wrote that, but it has been preserved in the jail.












More cells with very short doorways. The cells were so tiny, and during the potato famine, there were close from 9 - 12 people in a cell. Many prisoners were in jail for petty crimes like theft, and they WANTED to be jailed because they were guaranteed at least two meals a day. While many of the prisoners were leaders of rebellions, there were thousands of women and children that went through the jail...again to be guaranteed food and shelter.




This staircase leads to the basement of the Kilmainham Gaol. I am not sure what is down there...but I don't care to know either. We left the jail in facination and feeling very grateful that we did not live during the great potato famine in Ireland.