As I said in my earlier blog I was going to Kilmainham Gaol today. Having studied Irish history for 3 weeks it was a very moving experience to be there and I did not want it to get lost in the Barcelona story to come. Many Irish patriots through the years were imprisoned and many killed at Kilmainham, chief among them 13 of the leaders of the 1916 rising (the 14th Eamon DeValara was spared because he was born in America and went on to be the leader of the Irish nation for decades). I was very moved to be in the prison and the courtyard where the 13 were executed. I captured the place in my picture with the Irish tricolor flag and the black cross in the distance is where the prisoners stood to face the firing squad.
On a lighter note there were about 8 of us that did the Gaol tour and after that we had a great dinner at an Italian restaurant just across the street. The food was great but between pasta and Guinness Bill is afraid he is gaining too much weight (there is not scale available to confirm yet my pants still fit easily so I am hopeful all is well). At the end of dinner, I told the kids I wasn’t taking the taxi home with them but I was walking. They thought I was completely kidding until the very end when I walked away. It took me just under 90 minutes to walk about 6 mikes back to DCU. I followed google maps and I was only on high alert for a few minutes in an iffy neighborhood.
Pictures:The three floors of the prison from the central point; De Vallera’s cell; the courtyard where the 13 rebel leaders were killed by a firing squad.
