Dublin Kilmainham Jail

Today’s visit was to the Kilmainham Goal (jail) Dublin Ireland. The jail imprisoned people from the time it opened in 1796 until it closed it’s doors at 1924. Tours of the jail is by guided tour only and I had purchased tickets online for a 12:30 tour. I took the ship’s shuttle bus into town and then took the red hop on hop off bus from stop 5, Merrion Square, to the jail.

I arrived early so I toured the museum exhibits first.

Today the building symbolizes the tradition of militant and constitutional nationalism from the rebellion of 1798 to the Irish Civil War of 1922–23. Leaders of all major rebellions were detained and in some cases, executed here. Of course, they were guarded by cruel British troops.

In addition to those imprisoned for traditional crimes and political prisoners, thousands of ordinary men women and children were detained here. Their crimes often consisted of petty offenses such as stealing food. The potato famine drove many to steal food. Convicts from many parts of Ireland were held here for long periods at then eventually transported to Australia.

More than 150,000 people were imprisoned here. 140 of them were executed.

Rules for the prisoners involved the Three S—Silence, supervised and separated (the genders.) All serious crimes were sentenced to hanging.

Children were primarily there for stealing food. Even a a 5-year old hungry boy was there.

10% of prisoners were political.

The five crimes that were considered capital crimes were murder, rape, larceny, treason and piracy.

“The Easter uprising” is the catalyst for the independence of Ireland and the closing of the jail.

12 British soldiers were on the firing squad for political  prisoners. Criminal prisoners were publicly hanged.

Executions of Easter Uprising prisoners angered the Irish so that they inspired the final Irish war of independence.

Volunteers restored the building which had fallen into disrepair for almost 40 years.

Of note, I downloaded the “big bed bus” app and followed our route. There is free Wi-Fi onboard.

I just noticed I grabbed the wrong currency. I left my euro coins in my room by mistake, and brought my British coins instead. Fortunately I kept my euro bills in my wallet.   I am meet more and more people who only use credit cards – – no cash.

Thank you for reading my posts. It’s a real challenge to create this using Siri, a teeny I-phone keyboard, and auto correction that is often incorrect.

I love Dublin!

Dublin Ireland. Cruise Day # 18. We will stay here for two full days.

We will have a later arrival into Dublin (11AM) so I woke up and listened to a wonderful lecture on the Celts (tribes dating to 700BC, they invented the sword and chainmail) and a lecture about upcoming ports of call.

Dublin, the capital of Ireland, is a cozy, vibrant, energetic, cosmopolitan city that although modern, clings to the past. From the stone façade of Trinity College to the magnificent medieval St. Patrick’s Cathedral you encounter every day reminders of how deeply rooted in history Dublin truly is.  Dublin even houses the book of Kells, a masterpiece of the medieval era– – a manuscript the dates to the early 9th century. 

Since Ireland’s independence from Britain in 1922, Dublin has become the political, economic, and cultural center of the country, offering a wealth of attractions for visitors.

My first visit here was more than two decades ago when I spent a week touring Ireland and even marched in the St. Patrick’s Day ☘️parade. I wore green everything, every day – – even my socks and underwear were green.☘️I have been back several times and have enjoyed making new discoveries of this wonderful city.

The pier is a working pier and the Port Authority requires travelers to take a shuttle to the exit. Our ship offered a $16 round-trip shuttle into the town center north of Merrion Square. Merrion Square is lined on three sides by some of Dublin’s best preserved Georgian town houses. Several distinguished Dubliners have lived on the Square, including Irish nationalist Daniel  O’Connell and author WB Yeats. There are plaques on the house facades which identify former inhabitants. On a building just across the street, I saw where Oscar Wilde had lived.

I plan to take a 2 1/2 hour walking tour today (among other things.) For tomorrow, I have tickets to guided visit of the Kilmainham jail. (I can’t believe Siri new how to spell the name of the jail!) This jail was open from 1796 until 1924. The prison held thousands of ordinary men, women, and children. Their crimes ranged from petty offenses such as stealing food to more serious crimes such as murder or rape.

Today’s weather forecast is a brisk 46° for a high and 39° for the low. I’m happy I always pack gloves.

Here are some fast facts about Dublin and Ireland: 🇮🇪 

The Vikings established  the walled town of Dublin I in 841 AD.

Dublin is in the country of Ireland, (Eire,) and shares the island with the nation of northern Ireland. Ireland is an independent country, member of the European Union, mostly Catholic, and uses the euro. Northern Ireland (Ulster) is part of the United Kingdom, mostly Protestant, and uses the British pound. I will discuss this more in depth when I write about my upcoming Belfast visit.

The Shamrock is one of the symbols of Ireland. The druids believed the Shamrock was a sacred plant they could ward off evil and the Celtics thought it had mystical properties due to the plants three heart-shaped leaves. Christians believe the shamrock’s three leaves represented the holy Trinity. The claddugh represents united love between 2 people. 

Trinity college is the alma mater of Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, and Bram Stoker.

Dublin castle’s southeast Tower is the last intact medieval tower in the entire city. The tower once functioned as a high security prison and held native Irish hostages and priest during the times of the Tutors.

The most widely played sport in Ireland is Gaelic football, a boisterous combination of rugby and soccer. Road bowling has been popular for over 300 years. Part golf, part bocce ball and part bowling, the goal of the game is to hurl a small cannonball along a 2-mile country road.

Some Dublin celebrities are musicians Bono, Bob Geldof, and Sinead O’Connor; and actors Gabrielle Byrne, Colin Farrell, and Maureen O’Hara.

Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland.

Gaelic is spoken by 94,000 people, 1.6% of the population.  Of note, there is also Scottish Gaelic and Manx Gaelic.

With a literary heritage stretching over hundreds of years, Dublin has been designated a UNESCO city of literature. (I did not even know there was such a designation.)

Guinness is the drink of Ireland and tourists can visit the Guinness storehouse to view the fascinating process of how Dublin‘s prize pint is created. In 2010, 10 million glasses of Guinness were served in over 150 countries.

Thank you for reading my posts. It is quite a challenge to create these using Siri and a teeny keyboard on my iPhone.