KILMAINHAM GAOL
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To understand the history of Dublin, through the personalities who passed through this prison during the struggle for independence.
It's one of Dublin's most interesting sites for understanding its history. Inaugurated in 1796 as Dublin's county jail, Kilmainham Gaol has seen many of the personalities who played a part in the fight for Irish independence pass through its walls. Among the prisoners were Henry McCracken, founder of the United Irishmen, Robert Emmet, Charles Stewart Parnell and Eamon De Valera, the last prisoner to become Prime Minister and President of Ireland.
When it opened, it was one of the most modern prisons in Ireland. Yet there was nothing comfortable about it: the windows were nothing more than holes drilled in the walls, and the limestone walls absorbed all the moisture, so winter brought its share of disease. In the early 19th century, murderers and violent thieves were publicly hanged in front. By the time of the Great Famine, around 1840, however, the Irish were seeking to have themselves arrested and locked up, so as to be guaranteed one meal a day. We also visit the cell of Charles Parnell, who, although locked up, was treated with the respect due to his rank as "king without a crown". In 1916, during the Easter Rising, several nationalist leaders were imprisoned and later executed, including Willie Pearse and Joseph Plunkett. The last prisoners were released at the end of the civil war in 1924. The visit includes an audiovisual presentation in the chapel, a guided tour of the prison and a museum. Not to be missed!
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La visite guide n'est pas toujours facile a comprendre mais on en apprend beaucoup sur l'Irlande et son histoire, qui est neamoins tres recente.