I met Bryan McEvilly, a prison officer, my first evening in Dublin. Finding him to be a wonderful raconteur and a history buff, I got the idea of having him take me on a tour of the prison where he works. Bryan agreed and we made our arrangements.

I was met at the main gate of Mountjoy, the closest my cab could go to the entrance of the prison. We began our tour around the outside of Mountjoy Prison, which opened in 1850, eleven years after construction was begun. It is currently the most dilapidated prison in Ireland.

Bryan pointed out the top floor area of one of the buildings where, in 1996, four prison officers were held hostage by a group of inmates for 52 hours. Fortunately, the incident ended peacefully. We next visited the area where the executions took place; it gave me chills to know I was perhaps standing where the hangman did, as he readied the noose for his victim. The first execution in Mountjoy was carried out in 1901, the last in 1954. By law, the hangman was charged with murder and fined five shillings.

Next Bryan told me about the ten patriots in the War of Independence (1918-1921) who were executed and buried at Mountjoy. Their bodies were exhumed in November, 2001 and reburied. Nine of the ten were laid to rest in the Republic Plot at Glasnevins Cemetery in Dublin, while the tenth was buried in his hometown of Limerick.

Inside the prison, Bryan pointed out a black wrought iron piece on one wall, which has three symbols done in brass. First the ship, symbolizing deportation to Australia; then the "auld triangle", formerly used by the prison chief to summon the prisoners to meals, etc. The final symbol is the cross, which represents the prisoners executed here.

The prison cells are about 10 x 8; large enough for a single bed. Each has a door rather than bars. I was visiting at lunchtime, and most of the inmates were eating in their cells. One was open, however, and I went to the door and looked in. The cell’s occupant had covered the walls with colorful posters, an incongruous note in an otherwise drab, dreary place. There are no sanitation facilities in the cells; toilets and sinks are located at the end of the hallway. Shower facilities are in the gym area; inmates will go for a workout and then have a shower. The prisoners can take classes in small groups; it is hoped they may learn a useful skill or trade to help them upon their release.

School groups are regularly brought through Mountjoy on tours. As Bryan said, if even one youngster is saved from a life of crime, it’s time well spent. I was allowed to bring in my camera and take whatever pictures I wished, with the exception of photographing anything dealing with the security systems or photographing the prisoners themselves.