What to do · Dublin
Kilmainham Gaol, the story of Irish independence
Information
- From
- €8 adult
- Duration
- 1 h 30
- Season
- All year, except 24 to 27 December
- Who it's for
- From age 10; the history is harsh and part of the visit is outdoors
Kilmainham opened in 1796 as the county gaol, and it held ordinary prisoners and almost every rebel in Irish history, from Robert Emmet to Charles Stewart Parnell. In its Stonebreakers' Yard, fourteen leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed by firing squad. The visit is guided only: an hour through the cells, the chapel and the Victorian wing, and then the museum at your own pace.
How to get a ticket. Only tickets bought on kilmainhamgaolmuseum.ie are valid: the Office of Public Works (OPW) warns that it does not accept resold tickets or tickets from other websites, even from pages that imitate the name. Some of the tickets are released 28 days ahead, at midnight Irish time; if you cannot find a slot, go on the website on the day itself from 9:15, when extra tickets and cancellations are released. Tickets are not sold at the door.
It is about 3.5 km from the centre, on Inchicore Road; go by bus or walk from the Guinness Storehouse in about 20 minutes. Wrap up warm in winter: it is very cold inside.
With teenagersWith friends
