Kilmainham Gaol is a prison in Dublin, opened in 1796 and closed as an active prison in 1924. The history of Kilmainham Gaol is fascinating, especially with regards to its political prisoners, so yesterday I toured the facility.
And Peter from the Kilmainham Gaol Museum, if you're reading this, you're the very best tour guide I've ever had. Seriously, I'd take this tour again just to hear you speak about James Connolly, Grace Gifford Plunkett, Robert Emmet and Patrick Pearse.
Our foes are strong and wise and wary; but, strong and wise and wary as they are, they cannot undo the miracles of God Who ripens in the hearts of young men the seeds sown by the young men of a former generation. And the seeds sown by the young men of '65 and '67 are coming to their miraculous ripening today. Rulers and Defenders of the Realm had need to be wary if they would guard against such processes. Life springs from death; and from the graves of patriot men and women spring living nations. The Defenders of this Realm have worked well in secret and in the open. They think that they have pacified Ireland. They think that they have purchased half of us and intimidated the other half. They think that they have foreseen everything, think that they have provided against everything; but, the fools, the fools, the fools! — They have left us our Fenian dead, and while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace.
~ Patrick Pearse at the funeral of Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa on August 1, 1915
