We toured the jail with Adam, the most animated story teller. The history of the jail is not easy on the eyes or ears or heart. Its story is one of the hardest times in Irish history. I’m not sure I can put into words the rush of emotion that we experienced today. I will recommend you include this history lesson on a visit to Dublin. History must be told!! We must teach each other about the history even in the darkest of times. We should never repress history, whitewash it or hide it. How else will we learn…and how else can we understand what people endured in the past, and hopefully not repeat it. Sadly history shows us we do not always learns from our grave mistakes. History is important and we learned from Adam about this jail & its history, important Irish history that made Ireland who it is today.
For over 100 years Kilmainham Gaol held thousands of men, women and children for crimes that ranged from minor offences to being involved in some of the most momentous events in Irish history
A visit to Kilmainham Gaol will take you on a journey through Irish history. You will discover the stories of people held here as ordinary criminals alongside those who fought for Irish independence. From the 1798 rebellion, to the 1916 Easter Rising, the Anglo-rish War (1919-21), to the devastation of the Irish Civil War (1922-23) all these important events have a chapter in the story of Kilmainham Gaol.
Kilmainham Gaol opened in 1796 as the new County Gaol for Dublin. While most of the prisoners were common criminals, it also held political prisoners involved in Ireland’s struggle for independence.
Included amongst those held here were Robert Emmet, Anne Devlin, the Fenians, Charles Stewart Parnell, Countess Markievicz and the leaders of the 1916
Easter Rising, 14 of whom were executed by firing squad in the Stonebreaker’s yard.
The Gaol was closed in 1924 but was preserved as a national monument in the 1960s and restored by the Kilmainham Gaol Restoration Committee. It was handed over to the State in 1986 and today is run by the Office of Public Works.
I want to learn more about the teachers, poets, craftsmen and satirists that fought the British Empire for Irelands freedom. So many gave their lives.
Ireland is where my people come from. My grandparents were born in the 1880’s and immigrated to America. Part of who I am is my strong belief in what is right & just. Also, the proper way to treat people and to call out and fight against injustice. To have hope and will continue to fight when our freedoms are in jeopardy. I will not loose hope even when things look bleak.
On that note on our way out of Dublin, we made a stop to visit the ancestral home of someone who gave me hope for a better America, POTUS 44
I hope we can find our way again, how to treat people with respect, to do the right thing and not be so full of destruction, despair and hateful cruelty. Let’s restart with the simple fact that we all descended from immigrants. Starting with seeing each other, especially the children as human beings. I will keep hope in my heart, it’s who I am.
On a happier note, we returned to Ballyfawley for another visit wonderful evening with our very special cousins. During dinner we were gifted with a lovely rainbow.
Another fabulous meal and tiramisu created by Euan & Sally VOILÁ
Off to Galway tomorrow for a few days…
