The Gaols of Ireland

One of the best places to learn about history in Ireland? Their gaols (jails)!

Who would of thought that a visit to the local jail would be one of the more informative things we did to learn about the history in Ireland. The jails in Ireland have seen a lot of history, including the famine-era “criminals,” and some of the most famous political revolutionaries from the 1916 Easter Rising.

There are 5 gaols open to the public across the country and we were able to visit all fo them:

1. Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin

Located in Dublin, Kilmainham Gaol was open from 1796 until 1924, but the inside of those walls has seen all of Ireland’s tumultuous history first hand. The cells at Kilmainham Gaol have seen leaders in the uprisings of 1798, 1803, 1848, 1867 and 1916 and they’ve even housed “thieves” during the Irish Potato Famine starting in 1845. The guided tour at Kilmainham Gaol takes visitors through all of the history and provides special insight into specific prisoner’s lives.

2. Cork City Gaol, County Cork

Located on the outskirts of the city of Cork, Cork City Gaol looks like it could be a castle instead of a prison. Opened in 1824, Cork City Gaol originally housed both male and female inmates before becoming a female-only prison in the 1870s. In the 19th century this gaol was home to inmates who committed “crimes” that included obscene language, public drunkeness, and stealing loaves of bread.

The most interesting part of this gaol was the building that housed wealthier inmates, called the Debtor’s Gaol. This part of the Gaol held prisoners who received special treatment, where they could have their own furniture, clothes, have food delivered to them and even leave for the day if they wanted.

3. Spike Island, County Cork

Located in the Cork Harbour, Spike Island has been called the “Alcatraz of Ireland".” This was the gaol that we were most excited to visit while we were in Ireland. Spike Island has served many purposes including as a monastery, a fortress, and a prison.

Spike Island has been home to some noteable inmates including “Jack In The Box,” a clever thief who constructed a trunk which he could open and lock from the inside. With the help of accomplices, “Jack” was able to sneak in and out of freight trucks to steal goods completely unnoticed.

There was also William Johnston who successfully escaped both Kilmainham and Cork City Gaol, and unsuccessfully attempted to escape Mount Joy Prison before being sent to Spike Island where it was thought to be impossible for him to escape. But that assumption was proven wrong when one night Johnston and another inmate were missing from their cells. After a search in the surrounding area and waters, it was assumed that the inmates had most likely drowned. Until, a guard tripped over a rock and saw the inmates hiding in a bush.

However, my absolute favorite story from Spike Island is about the rioting that happened in the 1980’s. The night started with inmates setting fires around the island before turning into full riots. The prisoners gained control of the island overnight until things eventually calmed down early in the morning. But, there was a smaller group of prisoners who refused to surrender and gathered on top of one of the buildings. That is - until the local news was showing footage of the riots and one of the mothers of a prisoner saw her son. The riots officially ended when an angry mother came to the island and scared the prisoners enough to come down off of the building.

4. Wicklow Gaol, County Wicklow

Located in the town of Wicklow, Wicklow Gaol (also nicknamed as the “gates of hell”) has been witness to the 1798 Rebellion, the Great Famine, the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War and hosted some of the most prominent people in Irish history.

The Wicklow Gaol is the perfect place for someone who really wants to dive deep into the history of Ireland. The audio tour was very informative, and there were tons of interactive content along the way. Each prison cell had a “character” of someone who had lived in the gaol and told stories of their experience or some part of history of the gaol.

Wicklow Gaol is also on the list of most haunted places in Ireland, and has even made some top lists of most haunted places in the world. Not surprising, as this gaol has a very dark, corrupt and disturbing history. It’s said you can see some ghosts wandering around the building and the tour will even tell some of the ghost tales.

Also, outside of the gaol, Wicklow is an incredibly beautiful area. Just a ten minute walk from the gaol is a park with the ruins of Black Castle that offers up some beautiful views!

5. Crumlin Road Gaol, Belfast

While this prison is actually in Northern Ireland, I am still including it on this list as a must-visit on any trip to the island. Crumlin Road Gaol first opened its doors to prisoners in 1846, the prison was built with four wings and designed to separate prisoners from each other with no communication.

The prison offers a really great tour where you get the opportunity to explore some secret rooms and even a secret tunnel that runs between the gaol and the courthouse across the street.

The tour also focuses a lot on the seventeen executions that took place. At first, executions were still carried out in the public. This is where I learned the originally meaning of the term “hangover.” Apparently, when executions were a public event, the community would gather to watch and then go out to the pubs for a pint to celebrate. The next morning, after drinking, they would be recovering from celebrating the hanging. Hence, hangover. Eventually, executions were no longer made public, and a designated room was created for it. Prisoners who were due to be executed would not be given notice, but moved to a special cell room. They could be held in this room for days until eventually a secret door in the room would be revealed which led to the execution room where they’d be hung.

This was one of my favorite prison tours we took. I would highly recommend it for anyone with a strong interest in the troubles.