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 The
Great Famine
The famine occurred in
Ireland between 1845 and 1850. It occurred
because the main source of food in the
country at the time, the potato, starting to
fail due to blight. To survive the Irish
people did so many things including
emigration and getting into lives of crime.
The main offense committed during this
period was stealing food, such as bread. The
majority of those that were imprisoned in
the gaol during the famine years wanted to
be there, as it was better, food and shelter
were guaranteed, while outside of the gaol a
typical individual was not guaranteed
anything.
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 East
Wing
The Victorian East Wing
was opened in 1862. It consists of 96 cells
all of which were designed so that they
could be viewed, without great difficulty by
the prison guards who were on duty. Both
observation and the belief in the spiritual
reforming powers of light were key within
this part of the gaol.
The East Wing is also
renowned for being the location for many a
film set including the likes of the original
The Italian Job (1969), In the
Name of the Father (1993), Michael
Collins (1996) and The Escapist
(2008). It has also been used in many a
music video including the U2 song A
Celebration back in 1982.
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