Wicklow Gaol

Wicklow also has its own historic prison! Known as “Wicklow Gaol”, it is a place that has now been converted into a museum, which accurately recounts the horrific conditions of detention at the time! Many men and women have been incarcerated here: for over two centuries, the prison was a place of terror, and visitors still shudder just to see it!

Visit the historic Wicklow Gaol

A prison founded in the late 18th century

Wicklow Gaol – https://www.wicklowshistoricgaol.com

Wicklow Prison is far from being a new place of detention. It is thought to have been built in 1702… and to have housed its first inmates as early as the Rebellion of 1798… before closing its doors in 1924!

Cold and austere, Wicklow Gaol was a perfect example of the prisons of the time. It was equipped only with the bare necessities, and provided narrow, terrifying gaols, in minimal comfort, with wooden beds, and icy cold omnipresent!

Historically speaking, the prison was particularly used during the 1798 Rebellion, as well as during the Great Irish Famine… It was the scene of the conflict between the Irish and the British… Here, many Irish fell victim to the colonial aspirations of the English…

The prison closed in 1900, but eventually reopened to house republican prisoners during the Irish War of Independence and Civil War… before finally closing as a penitentiary.

The prison, converted into a museum

In 1995, the town of Wicklow decided to restore the prison and turn it into a museum. Inaugurated in 1998, the site is still in operation today and promises an adventure as scary as it is exciting!

And for the faint of heart, Wicklow Gaol is for those not afraid of the dark, damp and confinement… No sentiment here: the guides will tell you all about the inhuman living conditions of the prisoners at the time.

Inhospitable, unhealthy cells, adulterated food, physical abuse for bad behavior, forced labor and deportation to Australia… The report is unbearably distressing, and brilliantly illustrated by video documentaries and life-size mannequins.

Visitors can delve deep into Ireland’s penal history, exploring most of the prison’s rooms. You’ll be accompanied by a guide who will take you through the main courtyard of Wicklow Gaol, into a typical cell and watchtower, and show you just how feared Irish prisons were at the time…

Isolation and shower rooms are also on the agenda, to keep your curiosity and discomfort alive.

Finally, you’ll learn that the prison has a reputation for being haunted! For many, Wicklow Gaol is the scene of terrifying apparitions! It has to be said that for the Irish, this prison was a place of enormous suffering. A potential explanation for all these occult manifestations!

Ghosts, sounds of screaming and crying… Paranormal phenomena are so numerous that the prison was even featured on an episode of the TV series Ghost Hunters International in 2009!

If you’re not the type to believe in all that, you should know that the prison is nonetheless bathed in a heavy atmosphere… It’s easy to imagine yourself as a prisoner of the time, and you quickly get a sense of the precariousness of the premises!

Cold, damp and utterly destitute: Wicklow prison was a veritable hell for the prisoners! And the visit makes you feel the full force of the harshness of the place!

The museum also has a café and souvenir store… and tours of the prison by night are also available for added thrills…

In short, it’s a must-do visit, but one that’s sure to stir the emotions!