Kilmainham Gaol by Leni Krivy

July 10, 2011

Today we went to Kilmainham Gaol, an old Irish prison which held many prisoners from the Easter Rising. We took the bus through Dublin. The streets are very beautiful here. When we arrived we first viewed a slideshow giving a general history of the prison and it`s prisoners. The prison had been in use from the 1780s to the 1920s and had housed many Irish rebels throughout history from as young as five years old. Patrick Pearse was a rebel leader, in the Easter Rising, who was held in the jail and executed. Joseph Plunkett was also held in the prison for participating in the Easter Rising and was married in the prison’s chapel before his execution. Before he died, he was given only ten minutes with his wife as a guard watched and counted down the time. We were shown many of the prisoners cells, some who could afford it, had nicer accommodations than others. During the time of the potato famine, it was actually considered a better lifestyle to live in prison because it was the only place where meals were guaranteed every day. We were also shown the large open area where public hangings took place. The jail was made nearly impossible to escape. Overall we spent a very interesting and informative where we learned a good deal about Irish history. 

Kilmainham Gaol by Lauren Schoenberg

July 10, 2011

Today, all students took an exciting trip to Kilmainham Gaol. We learned about the historical significance and participated in a walking tour. We also had some free time in the afternoon to experience living in Ireland.

The outside looked like a large stone castle; it was very intriguing. We watched a movie about the rebels of the Easter Rising. Then we walked around and visited historical jail cells. We sat in Robert Emmet’s, a prominent leader of the rebellion, cell before he got hung. The entrances to the cells and hallways were very small and narrow. We walked around the museum and learned about the strong leaders. The Kilmainham Gaol connects very well with the play The Plough and the Stars (which our class will begin studying tomorrow and which is based on the Easter Rising) because it was here that all the leaders of the Rising were executed.

Around 12:30 pm both class departed and most students decided to go grocery and clothing shopping. The bus transportation from the main town to our residence is getting easier to arrange. Along with the curriculum, we are learning life lessons such as preparing and buying our personal lunches and having to practice time management skills and knowledge that is crucial for living independently.

Overall we had a great day today learning about Kilmainham Gaol and becoming accustomed to the lifestyle of living in Dublin.

Kilmainham Gaol 

by Jessica Tait and Hannah Yindra

July 10, 2011

On Sunday the tenth of July, after a lovely breakfast with our fellow back-pack clad school groups, we made our way to Kilmainham gaol (jail). The tour started with a stop in the jail’s chapel for a brief history and a touching story about the marriage of a Easter uprising hero, Joseph Plunkett, to his fiancé Grace on the eve of his execution.  Later, we viewed the cells where the prisoners were held as well as a few that held the famous rebellion leaders including MacBride and O’Connoly. There were some nicer rooms up on the next level and the guide informed us that corruption allowed certain wealthy prisoners access to finer rooms including one used for greeting one prisoner’s guests, in addition to his actual accommodations.  We learned that the women were held in a separate part of the prison. It was there that we saw the cell that held Grace Plunkett, the late Joseph Plunkett’s wife, during her stay at Kilmainham long after the execution of her husband. After a final viewing of the courtyard in which the Easter uprising heroes faced the firing squad, the group dispersed into the museum.

Later that night, Mr. Geerts’s class reconvened to attend Dublin’s literary pub crawl. Starting at The Duke with a lovely rendition of a scene from Waiting for Godot, we continued down the street to Trinity College on a culture stop. The rest of the trip included a stop at O’Neill’s pub and a bar formerly known as the Monaco. There were many interesting characters met, both fictional and historical, and it was a night of great fun and adventure on the streets of Dublin.