On Tuesday the 14th of April, we went on a trip to Kilmainham Gaol. We had been studying Irish history and it was great to see it come to life.
We got on the double-decker bus at half nine and off we went! On arrival we were met by our guide Ann. She brought us into the chapel where Joseph Plunkett married Grace Gifford hours before he was executed. She showed us the door which lead to the gallows where people were hanged in public. We watched a short video about children who had been imprisoned there for robbing food during The Great Famine.
After this we saw the cells where the leaders from the 1916 Rising were imprisoned. We also saw where Charles Stewart Parnell “resided”. His cell was fancier because he was wealthy. Parnell was a man of his word and we learnt that he was allowed to go to France for a funeral because they trusted him to return.
Finally we went to the stone breaker’s yard where the leaders and those who signed the Proclamation were executed in 1916. Padraig Pearse and his brother Willie were among the men who were shot.
In the museum we saw pictures and uniforms from the Rising. We also saw Grace Gifford’s ring with the love letter Joseph Plunkett sent her. After our tour we walked up to IMMA and had a picnic in the gardens. It was very interesting and a great experience, not to mention a lot of fun.