Hotels near Kilmainham Gaol

Kilmainham Gaol, opened in 1796 and decommissioned in 1924, is the single most important site for understanding modern Irish history. The leaders of every major rebellion against British rule, from Robert Emmet in 1803 through the 1916 Easter Rising signatories to the Irish Civil War combatants of 1922 to 1923, passed through these cells, and most were executed in the gaol's stone-breaker's yard.

Tours are guided only, last about 90 minutes, and move from the East Wing's Victorian panopticon (instantly recognisable from In the Name of the Father and The Italian Job) to the small museum, the chapel where Joseph Plunkett married Grace Gifford hours before his execution, and finally the yard itself, with two simple crosses marking the execution spots.

Pro Tip: Tickets sell out 4 to 6 weeks ahead in summer - book the moment you confirm your Dublin trip. Pair the gaol with the adjoining Irish Museum of Modern Art at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham for a full half-day in this part of the Liberties.