Museums & Archive

Kilmainham Gaol Museum

Inchicore Road, Dublin 8

Tel: 01 453 5984
Fax: 01 453 2037
Email: kilmainhamgaol@opw.ie
Web: ^{_{http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/Dublin/KilmainhamGaol/}}

Opening Information
April – September : Daily  09:30 – 18:00 (Last Admission 17:00)
October – March : Monday – Saturday  09:30 – 17:30 (Last Admission 16:30)
Sunday  10:00 – 18:00 (Last Admission 17:00)
Closed: The museum is closed December 24 – 26 inclusive.

Kilmainham Gaol opened in 1796 as the new county gaol for Dublin and remained in operation until 1924. Its principal fame derives from the crucial role it played in the history of Irish militant and constitutional nationalism from the rebellion of 1798 to the Irish Civil War, 1922-23.

As the county gaol for Dublin, Kilmainham was a place of imprisonment for thousands of men, women and children. Their crimes ranged from petty offences to more serious crimes.

Leaders of the rebellions of 1798, 1803, 1848, 1867 and 1916 were detained, and in some cases executed, in Kilmainham Gaol. Among the more famous prisoners were Henry Joy McCracken, Robert Emmet, Charles Stewart Parnell and the leaders of the 1916 Rising.

By 1960 the building had fallen into ruin. The Kilmainham Jail Restoration Society was formed to restore it as a memorial to those involved in the struggle for Irish independence. They also collected material related to the history of the building. Today the Gaol holds a very important collection of Irish nationalist and republican material - ranging from a copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic to the last letter of Charles Stewart Parnell.

Since 1987 the Gaol has been managed and run by the Office of Public Works. Access to the Gaol is by guided tour only which gives the visitor an overview of the political and penal history of the Gaol from 1796 - 1924. Other attractions include an audio-visual presentation, a permanent exhibition detailing the history of the Gaol and programme of temporary exhibitions.