merrion street

The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, has today (Tuesday) welcomed the opening of the new visitor centre at Kilmainham Courthouse, which is one of nine ‘Permanent Reminders’ being delivered as part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme. President Michael D. Higgins is the guest of honour at a special event this evening to officially open the new facilities.
Guests visiting the historic Dublin site will now be able to access Kilmainham Gaol by entering through the Courthouse, and avail of new facilities including a café and welfare facilities, a bookshop, as well as historic interpretation and displays relating to the building.
The project was made possible with the collaboration of the Courts Service who made the former Court building available. The new building will allow the OPW, who manage the Gaol site, to offer a much improved level of service to the approximately 330,000 visitors who come to the site every year.
Speaking today Minister Humphreys said:
“As the site of the executions of fourteen leaders of the 1916 Rising, Kilmainham Gaol is a very evocative location, and a building of great significance to the Irish nation. These new facilities will greatly enhance the visitor experience at what is already one of Dublin’s top tourist attractions.
“Kilmainham Gaol is one of the nine key ‘Permanent Reminders’ being developed at historically significant locations as part of the Government’s Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, which also include Pearse’s Cottage in Ros Muc and the major new visitor attraction at the GPO, which was opened last week. These projects represent significant Government investment in our culture and heritage, ensuring that the 2016 commemorations leave a positive and lasting legacy.”

Notes to Editors:
Full information available at www.kilmainhamgaolmuseum.ie

The Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, led by Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys, T.D., is a year-long programme of activity to commemorate the events of the 1916 Rising, to reflect on our achievements over the last 100 years and to look towards Ireland’s future. Full details of the Ireland 2016 programme is available at www.ireland.ie @ireland #ireland2016

Background:
Kilmainham Gaol is a National Monument site in the care of the OPW and is one of the most popular and heavily-visited tourist sites in Ireland;
Kilmainham is one of Ireland’s most significant historic sites and a unique physical expression of the country’s and capital’s penal and political heritage. It dates from 1796, is one of the largest unoccupied gaols in Europe, and is designated as a National Monument. Since 1986, the building has been under the operational management and control of the Office of Public Works (OPW), which is responsible for its preservation and protection and its operation as a heritage and historic amenity and successful visitor attraction;
The Gaol site opens to the public on a fulltime basis 362 days per year;
A full range of modern visitor facilities are being provided in the refurbished Courthouse building including a Café, bookshop and gift shop