DAY EIGHT: DUBLIN -- REBELLION & CIVIL WAR

Kilmainham Jail (10 am-noon)
Seminar: Discussion of Independent Ireland (3:00 pm-6:00 pm)
Read Irish Experience Chap. 12-14, packet of Irish biographies
Peacock Theatre "The Hunt for Red Willie" (8:15 pm)

 
inside Kilmainham Gaol (Jail), which was used in the movie, "In the Name of the Father" the main stairway the back hallway of the jail the jail's chapel
the hallway in which the leaders the courtyard where the gallows an exercise yard the Asgard, which was used to smuggle guns into the country
the Irish flag stands in the courtyard; the colors were first used during the Uprising of 1916 the fatal spot where the executions of the Irish republicans (nationals) took place    

 

  • Inside Kilmainham Gaol (Jail)
  • The main stairway; the jail was used in the movie "In the Name of the Father."
  • Back hallway...the jail was supposedly a model of a reformed jail, as there were windows to let in sunlight. But prisoners were only allowed out of their cells 1 hour each day and the jail was often filled beyond capacity due to the large amount of political prisoners the British imprisoned.
  • The Chapel...ever wonder why they say that the Irish have long memories? One of the leaders of the 1916 Uprising was engaged before being thrown in jail; he was allowed to marry his love, have a last meal with her, and spend 10 minutes alone before he was executed. This is the Chapel in which they married and Kelly and someone else are sitting down.
  • The hallway in which the leaders of the 1916 Uprising were imprisoned. Maybe a ghost caused the blurring of the light?
  • The courtyard where the gallows used to be located. The youngest prisoner was an 8 year old girl that was sentenced to 5 months for stealing a lady's coat. The youngest child was a 6 year old boy that was imprisoned with his family. No children were ever executed at Kilmainham.
  • An exercise yard
  • Yes, that is a boat. During WWI, Irish Nationalists looked to the Germans to supply them with guns. They felt that the Germans were heading down the right path, away from the tyranny of the British and that way of life. Well the Irish never received the guns; when the Germans saw the British approaching, they scuttled the ship. I think this was the Asgard, but don't quote me on it =) That's Ryan, Cindy, Amy and Nicole listening to the tour guide.
  • The Irish flag; the three colors symbolize Ireland and were used for the first time during the Uprising, when the nationalists took over the GPO and held it for 6 days in 1916. The green symbolizes the Irish nationalists (usually Catholics), the Orange the Anglo-Irish (usually Protestants) and the white symbolizes peace.
  • The cross stands where the majority of the executions took place. One man (James Connelly) had been wounded in the fighting and was taken to Dublin Castle, where they tried to make him feel better. When the bullet wound to the leg didn't improve within 5 days, the British took him to the jail, tied him in a chair, and exectued him as well. The executions turned a normally apathetic nation towards nationalism.


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