Open Travel Guide
  1. Home
  2. Destinations
  3. Ireland
  4. Leinster
  5. Dublin
  6. History
  7. Kilmainham Gaol

History · Leinster, Dublin

Kilmainham Gaol

Where the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed by firing squad

  • EraGeorgian–Independence
  • Admission€8 adult, €6 concession, €4 child (~$8.80 / ~$6.60 / ~$4.40); book online at kilmainhamgaolmuseum.ie
  • HoursDaily 09:00–18:00 (Apr–Sep); 09:30–17:30 (Oct–Mar); guided tours only
Kilmainham Gaol

Opened as a county gaol in 1796, Kilmainham held ordinary criminals, political prisoners of the 1798 and 1803 rebellions, and Charles Stewart Parnell before becoming most infamous as the site where 14 leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising, including Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, were executed by firing squad in its Stonebreakers' Yard. Access is by guided tour only, and tours regularly sell out days in advance.

Practical information for Kilmainham Gaol
Admission €8 adult, €6 concession, €4 child (~$8.80 / ~$6.60 / ~$4.40); book online at kilmainhamgaolmuseum.ie
Hours Daily 09:00–18:00 (Apr–Sep); 09:30–17:30 (Oct–Mar); guided tours only
Address Inchicore Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8, D08 RK28, Ireland

Why it matters

14 leaders of the 1916 Rising were executed here in May 1916; closed as a prison in 1924 and now run as a state museum

Site facts

Built
1796

Weather through the year in Ireland

JAN FEB MAR 10° APR 13° MAY 16° JUN 18° JUL 18° AUG 14° SEP 12° OCT NOV DEC

Best time Shoulder Worth avoiding

Average daytime temperature in °C. Figures are for Ireland.

Location

Inchicore Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8, D08 RK28, Ireland

53.3416, -6.3102 View on map

Highlights

  • Stonebreakers' Yard, site of the 1916 executions
  • The restored 1862 East Wing with its cross-shaped landing
  • Museum exhibition on Irish political imprisonment 1796–1924