The Prisoners’ Lens: Secret photography in Kilmainham Gaol, 1921

The OPW presents a new exhibition of secret photographs taken in Kilmainham Gaol Museum in 1921 during the War of Independence.

From 23 October 2025 to 31 October 2026, The Office of Public Works (OPW) at Kilmainham Gaol Museum presents a new exhibition of photographs taken by prisoners using cameras smuggled into the prison in 1921.

The exhibition will be launched by the Chairman of the Office of Public Works, John Conlon.

The photographs featured in ‘The Prisoners’ Lens’ record everyday life in Kilmainham Gaol in 1921. Among the activities they depict are boxing matches, Irish language classes, religious services and drama productions. Other photos show the men enjoying the sunshine in the south-facing yards, cooking food in the kitchen and playing with two dogs they seem to have acquired!

The prisoners were finally released from Kilmainham Gaol on 8 December 1921 following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Their release was filmed by British Pathé News, making it the earliest known film footage of Kilmainham Gaol. This newsreel is being shown in the Gaol for the first time as part of this exhibition.

Also featured are letters written by the prisoners, including some by a prisoner named Vincie Lawler in which he instructs his mother on how to smuggle in film and developing paper into Kilmainham Gaol by hiding them in a tin of sweets!

Speaking about the exhibition, John Conlon, OPW Chairman, said: “I am delighted to be here today to launch this exciting new exhibition, which highlights the everyday life of prisoners in Kilmainham Gaol. The ‘Prisoners’ Lens’ invites us to see Kilmainham Gaol anew, reminding us of the enduring humanity that can be found in the darkest of places”

Admission to the exhibition is free and is open to the public seven days a week.

Image Caption: Thomas Wall sits in front of laundry drying in a yard of Kilmainham Gaol. Wall was only 16 when imprisoned in Kilmainham and was killed the following year during the Civil War

For further information and photographs, please contact pressoffice@opw.ie.

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Notes:

• The Prisoners’ Lens: Secret photography in Kilmainham Gaol, 1921 is available for the press to view from 9.30am on 23 October. A wide selection of high-res images are also available. Please contact curator Brian Crowley at 086 8079071 or at brian.crowley@opw.ie.
• Admission to the exhibition in Kilmainham Gaol Museum is free.
• Kilmainham Gaol is located at Inchicore Road, Dublin 8 and is currently open from 9.30am to 5.30pm (last admission 4:30pm), seven days a week.
• Tickets for a tour of Kilmainham Gaol can be booked online at https://kilmainhamgaolmuseum.ie/.