Heritage Sites of Kilmainham

Two of Dublin’s Contrasting Buildings of Historic Importance

Sep 21, 2008 Anthony Toole

In the Dublin district of Kilmainham are two buildings that should be on the itinerary of every visitor to the capital.

They stand on opposite sides of a crossroads, just south of the River Liffey, some two miles west of the city centre, and are easily reached by car or public transport.

Kilmainham Gaol

The forbidding exterior of Kilmainham Goal gives a foretaste of what lies within, and reflects its tragic role in Irish history. It is one of the largest unoccupied gaols in Europe, and was built in 1796, with the aim of reforming criminals by replacing old prisons with more spacious accommodation. It quickly became overcrowded when used as a holding centre for the condemned awaiting transportation to Australia.

The potato famine of the late 1840s saw the greatest overcrowding. In one year, 9000 prisoners passed through its 200 cells. Children were not exempt, the youngest inmate being a seven-year-old girl.

Little imagination is needed to picture the grim living conditions in the dark corridors and tiny cells, which were illuminated only by candles and open to the weather through minuscule window spaces.

Political Prisoners

The iconic significance of Kilmainham in Irish history stems from its extensive use for the incarceration of political prisoners. The first of these were the United Irishmen captured following the 1798 rebellion. Many were executed.

Later rebellions, in 1848 and 1867 led to further prisoners being sent to Kilmainham, though many escaped execution by being transported to Australian penal colonies. In 1865, Kilmainham was strengthened to become the most secure prison in the British Isles and was used exclusively for political detainees.

In 1881, the ‘uncrowned King of Ireland’, Charles Stewart Parnell, and many of his fellow Members of Parliament were held in the gaol. As befitted an important politician, Parnell’s cell was more spacious and comfortable than most others.

The Easter Rising

Following the 1916 Easter Rising, Kilmainham Gaol again witnessed grim usage. The leaders of the rebellion were imprisoned here before execution by firing squad. The execution yard has a stark minimalism, only a plaque and two small crosses testifying to its horrors. 97 prisoners were condemned to death, but public outcry led to only fourteen sentences being carried out. Among those reprieved were Eamon de Valera, who became Prime Minister and President of the Irish Republic, and Constance Markievicz, the first woman to be elected to the British Parliament.

During the Civil War of 1922-3, Republican prisoners were held here. Thereafter Kilmainham was closed.

Royal Hospital, Kilmainham

Over the crossroads from Kilmainham Gaol is the gateway to the Royal Hospital. This was built as a retirement home for soldiers in the early 1680s, and stands on the site of a monastery founded for the Knights Hospitallers in 1174. It is the oldest public building of classical architecture in Ireland.

The premises were designed to house 250 pensioners, but this number was often exceeded. Nevertheless, the conditions were much more comfortable than those in the prison. In 1922, following the creation of the Irish Free State, the pensioners were moved to Chelsea, and from 1931 to 1950, the buildings became the Headquarters of the Irish Police, the Garda Siochana. After several changes of usage, it was opened in 1991 as the Irish Museum of Modern Art

Sculptures stand along the drive. Inside the building are several spacious galleries surrounding the courtyard. There are permanent and touring exhibitions of sculpture, photography and paintings comprising works by major modern and contemporary artists.

Military history is preserved in a Heritage Gallery, containing medals awarded for campaigns in China, Afghanistan, Crimea, Waterloo, South Africa and India. The Royal Dublin Fusiliers saw action in Gallipoli, Ypres and The Somme, where they lost more than 4000 of their number and won three Victoria Crosses.

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