Kilmainham Gaol

Kilmainham Gaol was built in Dublin in 1796. During the Great Potato Famine, it was stuffed to the rafters with prisoners who purposefully committed crimes to score some free gruel. There were a lot of political prisoners held in Kilmainham over the years too.

One story in particular has really stayed with me since our visit. A leader of the famous Easter Rising, Joseph Plunkett, was arrested and held in the jail. But he was allowed to marry his lady friend Grace Gifford in the prison chapel. They were then allowed to spend 10 supervised minutes together later that night, but only talking. When asked what they talked about, Grace said that they couldn't think of a single thing to say. He was shot the next morning. 

I can't even imagine how heart-wrenching that must have been for both of them, but especially Grace. She had to live without him the whole rest of her life. I can't even let myself to think about it very much. She knew he was going to be executed in just a few short hours, but she wanted to marry him anyway because she loved him that much. 

P.S. Recognize the big room? You probably saw it in the Italian Job.