Kilmainham Gaol

Ireland’s most famous prison was built in 1792 and is one of Europe's largest unoccupied gaols. Now a museum, the jail - with its imposing Victorian wing and bleak, confined cells - is synonymous with the Irish fight for Independence. Its prison yard was where the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed by a British Army firing squad, and its last prisoner was Éamon de Valera, first President of the Free State of the Republic of Ireland. After De Valera's release in 1924 Kilmainham Gaol was shut down, then restored in the 1960s. Commemorative plaques, original grafitti and prisoner art combine to create a unique and absorbing perspective on Irish social and policital history. Several movies have been filmed here, including Michael Collins, In The Name of the Father and, perhaps less conspicuously, The Italian Job. Tours last 60mins including an audio visual presentation and run every 30mins.