My last day in Ireland was a good one! On the recommendation of a friend and several tour guides I did the Kilmainham Gaol (jail) tour. I have always found jail tours fascinating, but this one was especially poignant. I have spent quite a bit of time learning more and more about Irish history and the Easter Rising and the Troubles, so it felt like I was coming full circle visiting this jail where 14 members of the leadership from the 1916 Easter Rising were held for a few days after their trials and then executed. The execution here was the spark that eventually ignited a flame for Irish independence.

We were directed to take a seat in the courthouse to wait until the tour started. Then we were led from the courthouse to the holding cells, and then eventually into the actual jail itself. We started the actual tour in the Catholic Church for the prison where the Catholic prisoners would have mass. Our tour guide explained that the jail was originally built in the 1700s and the model of prison at that time was basically a solitary confinement type model, so all prisoners were confined to their cells for 23 hours of the day, they got 1 hour of “yard time” where they were expected to walk with their heads down in a continuous circle without talking to anyone for that hour.

One interesting story involving the church was that of Joseph Plunkett, one of the leaders. The night before he was executed he was granted permission to marry his fiancé Grace Plunkett (nee Gifford). That was the only wedding to ever take place in that church, they were permitted an additional 10 minutes in Joseph’s cell after their wedding. He was executed a few hours later and Grace never married again. Her wedding ring, a letter from Joseph, and a scrapbook are all on display in the museum. The song Grace by Jim McCann tells the story of their wedding, I heard this song a few times at pubs and it’s interesting to hear the story the song is based on.

Jail cells where famous prisoners were held are labeled, including those above mentioned leaders of the Easter Rising. Among the famous residents in the newer wing of the prison were a few members of the Easter Rising, future President of Ireland Eamon De Valera, and the aforementioned Grace Plunkett. Both Grace and Eamon were imprisoned during the Irish Civil War which broke out after Ireland declared independence and the decision was made to divide the country into 26 counties of Ireland and 6 counties of Northern Ireland. The Republicans weren’t too happy with that division, they wanted the country to be united and didn’t want to owe any allegiance to Britain, so Civil War broke out between the Republicans and the newly formed Free State Army. There is a plaque in the exercise yard which highlights 4 other executions that took place at Kilmainham, these individuals were actually IRA Volunteers who were arrested by the Free State Army (the newly formed Irish government). This really highlights the perils of Civil War, because just a few years earlier these parties would’ve all been fighting on the same side.

The final stop on the tour was the memorial for the 14 leaders executed for the Easter Rising. Thirteen of them were executed on one side of the courtyard, and the last one, James Connolly was executed on the other side. Connolly was not held in jail due to an injury that he sustained during his capture, he was being treated for gangrene when his death sentence was ordered in a room (now called the “Connolly Room”) at the State Apartments in Dublin Castle, which had been converted to a first-aid station for troops recovering from the war. Despite his serious injuries, the British government ordered all of the executions to be carried out quickly because they thought it would act as a deterrent for future uprisings. Connolly was brought through the gate on a stretcher and was actually strapped into a chair because he was so badly injured he couldn’t stand or sit in a chair to face the firing squad. His body (along with those of the other leaders) was put in a mass grave without a coffin. The executions of the rebel leaders deeply angered the majority of the Irish population, most of whom had shown no support during the rebellion. It was Connolly’s execution that caused the most controversy. The executions had the opposite effect and spurred Ireland to fight for and eventually win Independence in 1921.

After the jail tour I went to the Liberty Inn next door to grab some lunch, I had some onion rings that were just ok (nothing else on the menu sounded that appealing- I went there for some Beef and Guinness pie but that wasn’t on the menu today) and then I did a little more shopping and then headed to check in to my final hotel. I am so sad to be leaving Ireland tomorrow, this has truly been the trip of a lifetime and I can’t wait to come back to visit in the future. Thank you for following along with me on my trip, I hope you found some enjoyment and some inspiration to come visit this magical country!