Kilmainham Gaol (1796-1924): Preserved as a Shrine to Those Who Were Held and Executed Here.

During the 18^th century, the condition of most prisons in Ireland was appalling. Overcrowding, starvation and the spread of disease were three common problems. Opened in 1796, Kilmainham Gaol was designed by Sir John Traille, who wanted to encourage criminals to reflect on their sins in solitude.

The west-wing of the prison was designed to fit one person per cell. However, overcrowding remained a problem and conditions in the gaol were awful from the time it opened.

Petty criminals were held here, along with some of the most famous and respected individuals in Irish history. Many of them took part in rebellions that are still celebrated today.

This piece looks at the conditions these prisoners lived in, explaining the reasons why theft was a common problem. It concentrates on prisoners who were held here during a time of rebellion, beginning with the 1798 rebellion, up until the time of the Irish Civil War in 1922. The gaol has been restored to remember and celebrate the sacrifices these people made.

Theft and Poverty

From the time it opened, theft was the main reason that men and women were imprisoned in Kilmainham Gaol. Children were even held prisoner here until 1859. Compared to cities in Great Britain, Dublin was extremely poor and theft was a major problem. During the 18^th century, theft could lead to execution, which was often performed in public to warn others of the consequences. By the time Kilmainham Gaol opened, transportation had become the most common form of punishment for theft.

The number of people in workhouses and jails in Dublin greatly increased during the time of the Famine (1845-1852), when many people living in rural Ireland decided to travel to cities. Some of these people committed petty crimes just so they could have something to eat and a roof over their heads.

By 1859, it is noted that there were 9502 prisoners being held in Kilmainham Gaol, the highest number ever recorded.

While the gaol held a large number of petty criminals and debtors, the first political prisoners were brought here within a month of opening and in 1798, the first political rebellion took place in Ireland.

1798 Rebellion

During the 18^th century, the majority of Irish people were Catholics who only held about 5% of land in a Protestant-run country. The American War of Independence (1775-1783) was an influential event which encouraged them to fight for their own independence.

The 1798 Rebellion was launched by the Society of United Irishmen, founded in Belfast in 1791, by young radicals that included Wolfe Tone, Robert Emmett and Samuel Nielson.

Although the rebellion only lasted for three months, thousands were killed. Except Wolfe Tone, all the leaders were sent to Kilmainham Gaol, where some faced execution.

While Samuel Nielson avoided execution by agreeing to exile in the US, Robert Emmett was held in the jail before being executed in 1803. He was hanged and beheaded on Thomas Street, Dublin and his death mask is on display today.

Brothers John and Henry Sheares were members of the society who were executed on the 14^th July 1798. In a letter to his sister several days before, John wrote:

The troublesome scene of life, my own dear Julia, is nearly closed, and the hand that traces these lines, will in a day or two be no longer capable of communicating to a beloved and affectionate family the sentiments of his heart.[1]

Similar letters are preserved today to give people an insight into what life was like for prisoners in Kilmainham. There were times between 1796 and 1802, when as many as 50 members of the United Irishmen were held here at one time.

The Phoenix Park Murders

In 1848, another short, unsuccessful rebellion was set up by the Young Irelanders. Most of these republicans were sent to Kilmainham Gaol; believed to be one of the most secure prisons in the country. The leaders of the 1867 Fenian Uprising were also sent here.

In the 1870s, the Land League was established by Michael Davitt. The members were not responsible for planning another rebellion but, they were still feared for their radical political and social ideas. One of their aims was to protect tenant farmers from being evicted during the time of the Great Famine. Leading members of the Land League were sent to Kilmainham, including Charles Stewart Parnell.

Parnell was held in the gaol for sixth months and released on 2^nd May 1882 after signing the Kilmainham Treaty with Gladstone. As part of the treaty, he took on the job of pacifying militants. Unfortunately, the Phoenix Park Murders occurred just four days later.

On 6^th May, Chief Secretary of Ireland, Lord Frederick Cavendish and Undersecretary T. H. Burke were stabbed to death in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. A group even wrote to Irish newspapers, naming themselves the ‘Irish National Invincibles’ and claiming responsibility for the murders. While 26 members of the ‘Invincibles’ were arrested and kept at the gaol, five were publicly executed.

In February 1910, the gaol was closed and used as a barracks during World War One. In 1916 it had no choice but to re-open.

1916 Rising

In 1916, the gaol was reopened to house hundreds of suspected criminals for their involvement in the Rising. Although 3430 men and 79 women were arrested for their suspected part in it, within a fortnight, 1424 had been released. Prisoners were sent to Arbour Hill Prison, Richmond Barracks, and others to Kilmainham Jail.

Fourteen leaders of the Rising were executed at Kilmainham Gaol and their names can be seen today on a commemorative plaque in the stone breakers’ yard where they were killed.

Names on the plaque read:

• 3^rd May 1916: Thomas Clarke, Thomas MacDonagh, Patrick Pearse
• 4^th May: Edward Daly, Willie Pearse, Michael O’Hanrahan, Joseph Plunkett
• 5^th May: John MacBride
• 8^th May: Seán Heuston, Michael Mallin, Éamonn Ceannt, Con Colbert.
• 12^th May: James Connolly, Seán MacDiarmoda

Family members were permitted to see these men before execution and some of the bleak stories they told have left others with a feeling of respect and sympathy for these men.

Thomas Clarke’s wife Kathleen remembers:

A scene of doom and decay. It had been abandoned as a prison for many years. A damp smell pervaded the place, and the only light was candles in jam jars (Griffith, 2014).

The story of Joseph Plunkett and his marriage to Grace Gifford is a well-known one. When the Rising took place they were already engaged, planning to marry on Easter Sunday. A few hours before Plunkett’s execution, they were permitted to marry inside the prison chapel. This chapel can still be visited today where the story is told to guests.

20^th Century War and Closure

Before Kilmainham Gaol was closed for good, it held people involved in two other conflicts. Firstly, the Irish War of Independence, beginning in 1919. Three men who took part in this war became the first prisoners to escape successfully from the gaol.

Ernie O’Malley (senior IRA organiser), Simon Donnelly and Frank Teeling escaped from the gaol on 14^th February 1921. Teeling had been sentenced to execution which was drawing near. Apparently, an unnamed prison guard smuggled guns and bolt-cutters into the jail, helping these men to break the lock and cross the prison yard. Donnelly claims that they walked down an unidentified road and hid the guns in a garden before taking a tram into the city. These men remained active and took part in the Irish Civil War.

After a treaty was signed on the 6^th December 1921, the country became known as the Irish Free State and this led to the Irish Civil War that began in June 1922. This war was fought between Irish nationalists who supported the treaty and those who opposed it, insisting on a fully independent republic.

Between February and September 1923, around 500 men and women were sent to Kilmainham Gaol. An overall 77 Republicans were executed. The first four were Peter Cassidy, James Fisher, John Gaffney and Richard Twohig, executed on 17^th November 1922.

One female prisoner stated:

 We learned afterwards that some of these cells had housed patriots down the ages and that the 1916 men occupied them for some days before their execution. However, having no knowledge of this at the time … [we were] more likely … thinking of the rats and mice that might be running over us and our mattresses during the night (Griffith, 2014).

When the Civil War ended in 1924, the jail was abandoned and the final prisoners left in March. It was not until 1960 that restoration began. The time in between became known as the ‘Wilderness Years’.

When the prison was abandoned, the General Prisons Board of Ireland did not see any need to preserve it. The National Graves Associations and their honorary secretary Seán Fitzpatrick, stressed the need to have it maintained and even held an open day on 19^th March 1938 to gain public support. However, the outbreak of World War Two reduced the importance of restoration.

Restoration and Modern-Day Significance

Lorcan Leonard was a Dublin-based engineer who was keen to carry out a voluntary restoration project at Kilmainham Gaol through public support. On 26^th February 1960, it was finally approved by the government.  

By 1971, restoration was completed, and the gaol was opened to the public. The horse-shoe shaped west-wing is still laid out as it would have been during the time of construction. It was set up like this so that every cell could be seen at once.

In 1996, a purpose-built museum was constructed at the gaol, to display pieces which had been donated and collected over the years. In 1963, an original copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic was donated and since then over 10,000 objects have been collected.

It is nearly 100 years since the last prisoners left the gaol, and the tours give visitors today an insight into the conditions these people lived in. Graffiti and personal messages remain on the walls. Visitors can even take a look at the altar where Plunkett was wed before his execution. The tour finishes with a visit to the yard where the leaders of the 1916 Rising were executed. Afterwards, people have a chance to look around the different collections held at the museum.

Conclusion

In a letter written by George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) in the London Daily News, he stated that it was impossible:

To slaughter a man in this position without making him a martyr and a hero (Griffith, 2014).

It is still important to recognise the thousands of people who were held in Kilmainham for petty crimes but, if it were not for the political leaders who lost their lives, restoration would not have taken place, or gathered so much public support.

To commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the 1916 Rising, the Office of Public Works (OPW) even invested €5m to renovate the gaol and courthouse alongside it. In 2017, 425,000 people visited the gaol, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in Ireland. It is a fascinating premises for tourists to explore and also provides locals with a sense of pride for the people who spent time there.[2]

By Jenny Snook

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References

• Griffith, Lisa Marie (2014). Stones of Dublin. Gill Books, Kindle Edition.
• Gillis, L. (n.d.). The Great Escape. Available at: https://kilmainhamtales.ie/escapes-of-the-war-of-independence.php (Looked at 27th Feb 2021).
• History Ireland (1998). Kilmainham in ’98. Available at: https://www.historyireland.com/volume-6/kilmainham-in-98/ (Looked at 23^rd Feb 2021).
• Lennon, B. (2016). Kilmainham Gaol hopes to attract 500,000 Visitors After €5m revamp. Available at: https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/1916/kilmainham-gaol-hopes-to-attract-500000-visitors-after-5m-revamp-34603124.html  (Looked at 24^th Feb 2021).
• O’Dwyer, R. (2010). The Wilderness Years: Kilmainham Jail, 1924-1960. Available at:https://www.historyireland.com/20th-century-contemporary-history/the-wilderness-yearskilmainham-gaol-1924-1960/ (Looked at 23^rd Feb 2021).