New loan agreement: General Register of Prisoners, Kilmainham, 1846–1848

The National Archives is delighted to continue our successful collaboration with Kilmainham Gaol Museum through a new five-year loan agreement. Effective from January 2025, this agreement reflects our commitment to fostering strong relationships with cultural institutions. We look forward to the continues success of this partnership and it’s positive impact on historical scholarship and public engagment.

The National Archives holds twenty-seven volumes of registers for Kilmainham Gaol, including four that cover the extended Famine period (PRIS/1/10/6, 1843-5; PRIS/1/10/7, 1846-8; PRIS/1/10/8, 1848-50; PRIS/1/10/9, 1850-53).

Kilmainham Gaol Museum in Dublin showcases the prison’s role in major events like the 1798 rebellion, the 1916 Easter Rising, and the Irish Civil War. It tells the stories of ordinary criminals and political prisoners, highlighting the harsh conditions of imprisonment and the evolution of the penal system over more than a century. The museum also provides insights into the impact of the Great Famine (1845-1852) on the prison. During this period, Kilmainham Gaol saw a significant increase in prisoners, many charged with begging and stealing food. The museum highlights the severe overcrowding and broader social and economic effects of the famine on Ireland and its penal system.

The General Registers of Prisoners on loan from the National Archives often provide the only physical evidence that many prisoners ever existed. Seeing these names written in the register allows visitors to connect with the individual humanity of the prisoners in a powerful way that digital reproductions cannot replicate. While it is possible to reproduce images of the registers as graphics or digital displays, as Collections Curator of the Museum Brian Crowley notes, “there is something profoundly impactful about seeing the actual register and the names it contains in the very building where they were recorded over 150 years ago.”

We are excited to announce that the register PRIS/1/10/7 (1846-48) is now in place as part of our annual rotational agreement. This register has been on display since early February 2025, allowing visitors to access and explore its historical significance. As part of this collaboration, we are delighted to publish a short blog by Aoife Torpey, a curator at the Kilmainham Gaol Museum, who has carried out background research into some of the prisoners listed.