We went to the Kilmainham Gaol (aka Jail) today and had the cutest tour guide! His name is Donal and he was a wonderful combination of sincerity, excitement, and generosity. He clearly is used to delivering the tour to folks who don't speak English as a first language and made a point to reiterate important facts, to reference previous parts of the tour, and to remind guests to ask questions or ask him to slow down if something isn't clear.
The Gaol is not as creepy as Alcatraz, though I imagine it would be equally creepy at night and in darkness. It's not as big and we didn't learn about any of the violent criminals who were housed there. Mostly it held uprising leaders, political prisoners, and petty criminals (i.e. folks who stole food, even children). It seems that it is more a Republican celebration of ousting England than an account of life as an imprisoned person. To be fair, there is a museum that has additional information on the period, on the architecture, and on the hard labor/life in the prison.
Of course Donal's cheerful self probably prevented the experience from being too ominous.
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