Tarbert Bridewell Courthouse & Jail Museum

Over het museum

Tarbert Bridewell was built in 1831 and for more than a century served as the courthouse and jail of the area. It stands for the harsh and often unjust legal system of nineteenth-century Ireland, and the museum in the restored building now presents what everyday life in Kerry was like in the 1800s.

Visitors can walk through the cells where prisoners slept, the courtroom where they were tried and the exercise yard. Life-size re-enactments and a newer audio-visual show, including a recreation of the trial of Thomas Dillon, tell the stories of the time. The exhibition follows important moments of Irish history such as the Famine, the rise of the Land League and the beginnings of Irish nationalism.

The building also tells personal stories, among them a widowed mother who stole to feed her children and was sentenced to transportation to Australia, the family of jail keepers, and a young prisoner who escaped by climbing a 25-foot wall. One room is dedicated to the poet and art critic Thomas MacGreevy, who was born in Tarbert and later became director of the National Gallery of Ireland. The building has a coffee shop and a gift shop.

Hoogtepunten

• Original cells, courtroom and exercise yard
• Life-size re-enactments and audio-visual show
• Recreation of the trial of Thomas Dillon
• Exhibition on the Famine, the Land League and early nationalism
• Room for the poet Thomas MacGreevy

Vaste collectie

• Cells, courtroom and exercise yard – The jail cells where prisoners slept, the 19th-century courtroom and the exercise yard, brought to life with life-size re-enactments and an audio-visual experience.
• The Famine, the Land League and Irish nationalism – An exhibition on turbulent moments of Irish history, including the Famine, the rise of the Land League and the beginnings of Irish nationalism, told through personal stories.
• Thomas MacGreevy room – A room about the poet and art and literary critic Thomas MacGreevy, born in Tarbert and later director of the National Gallery of Ireland.

Beheerder

Tarbert Bridewell CLG

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

A guided tour is available; visitors may also wander freely through the building.

Toegankelijkheid

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

Kinderen & gezin

A family ticket is offered. A woodland fairy trail for children lies about a five-minute walk away.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

On the N69 Limerick to Ballybunion route, and on the route of the Killimer (Co. Clare) to Tarbert car ferry. Parking is available at the Bridewell.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel

Coffee shop serving light snacks, tea and coffee, and a gift shop selling gifts, books, souvenirs and local crafts.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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