Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 February 2024
170. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform for an update on the work being carried out by the OPW in relation to research of burials in Kilmainham Gaol with a view to enabling the future exhumation of these persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9795/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraKilmainham Gaol, National Monument Number 681 is a National Monument in the ownership of the State. It is one of the largest unoccupied gaols in Europe. It opened in 1796 as the new county gaol for Dublin and finally closed in 1924. During that period it witnessed some of the most heroic and tragic events in Ireland’s emergence as a modern nation. Enclosed on the site are a number of graves which adds an additional resonance to its penal and historical significance.
Whilst the general siting of graves within the walls is recognised, there is no known detailed plan showing exactly where any individual was interred.
In relation to the persons referred to in this question, research on the general subject of graves at Kilmainham Gaol is being undertaken by a senior staff member of the site and in the first instance, concentrating on the years 1883 to 1885. This task involves extensive examination of General Prisons Board files in the National Archives for any possible leads on exact burial locations or ground plans of executed prisoners.
