Exhibitions
Kilmainham Gaol Museum Permanent Exhibition
Ongoing
The main exhibition at Kilmainham Gaol Museum tells the story of the social and political history of the prison. Three main themes are explored on three levels of the exhibition space:
- social history of Kilmainham Gaol and Irish prisons in the 1800s
- the history of Irish nationalism and republicanism, 1796-1924
- the restoration of Kilmainham Gaol in the 1960s
The ground floor exhibition tells the story of Kilmainham Gaol from the perspective of the ordinary prisoner. A prison register for Kilmainham Gaol shows the crimes for which men, women and children were imprisoned, ranging from violent assault to stealing apples from an orchard. Visitors can see the small wooden box used by convict John Sheahan to carry his possessions to Australia in 1842. A Victorian-era Gandolfi camera, used to capture prisoner ‘mugshots’, is also on display.
Rebellion, nationalism and the path to independence are the themes of the exhibition on the first floor, which deals with Irish political history from the 1798 rebellion up until the end of the Irish Civil War in 1924. Objects on display include Robert Emmet’s proclamation of a provisional government of Ireland in 1803, the last letter written by Charles Stewart Parnell and scapulars taken from the body of Michael Collins following his assassination in 1922.
The ‘Last Words’ section of this exhibition displays the last letters and personal belongings of the fourteen leaders of the Easter Rising executed at Kilmainham Gaol in May 1916.The final floor of the exhibition tells the extraordinary story of a group of volunteers who rescued Kilmainham Gaol from near ruin in the 1960s and restored it as a monument dedicated to the men and women who were imprisoned or executed in Kilmainham Gaol in the cause of Irish independence.
Kilmainham Gaol Museum Temporary Exhibition
The Prisoners’ Lens: Secret photography in Kilmainham Gaol, 1921
23 October 2025 to 31 October 2026.
The OPW presents a new exhibition of secret photographs taken in Kilmainham Gaol in 1921 during the War of Independence.
The photographs were taken by prisoners using cameras smuggled into the prison. They record everyday life in Kilmainham Gaol in 1921. Among the activities they depict are boxing matches, Irish language classes, religious services and drama productions. Other photos show the men enjoying the sunshine in the south-facing yards, cooking food in the kitchen and playing with two dogs they seem to have acquired!
The prisoners were finally released from Kilmainham Gaol on 8 December 1921 following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Their release was filmed by British Pathé News, making it the earliest known film footage of Kilmainham Gaol. This newsreel is being shown in the Gaol for the first time as part of this exhibition.
Also featured are letters written by the prisoners, including some by a prisoner named Vincie Lawler in which he instructs his mother on how to smuggle in film and developing paper into Kilmainham Gaol by hiding them in a tin of sweets!
Admission to view the exhibition is free.
