Overview
In the first days of May 1916, more than 3,000 captured rebels were marched into Richmond Barracks in Inchicore, and it was here, in the gymnasium, that G-men picked the leaders out of the crowd for court-martial. That single week is why the place matters. The Georgian complex off Bulfin Road, a short walk from Kilmainham Gaol, was built in 1810 against the threat of a Napoleonic invasion and has since been a barracks, a school and, since 2016, a restored heritage site that also works as a real neighbourhood library, garden and café.
If you have time for one thing, take the guided tour: the building is plain enough that the story is what carries it, and the guides tell it well.
A century of history
The barracks were named after Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, first garrisoned by the British Army in 1814, and for a century sent soldiers out to the Crimea, the Boer War and the First World War. Then came 1916. In the days after the Easter Rising the captured rebels were processed and held here, and most of the leaders, Pearse and Plunkett among them, were court-martialled in the gymnasium. James Connolly was the exception; too badly wounded to be moved, he was tried elsewhere. From here the condemned were taken the short distance to Kilmainham Gaol.
After the Free State was established in 1922 the site briefly became Keogh Barracks for the new Irish Army, then passed to the city and served as St Michael’s Christian Brothers School from 1929 to 2006. By the 2000s the buildings were derelict; a refurbishment reopened them in May 2016, restoring the Georgian façades and linking the barracks with the neighbouring Goldenbridge Cemetery, Ireland’s first Victorian garden cemetery, founded by Daniel O’Connell in 1828.
What to see and do
Guided history tours A guided walk takes you through the court-martial gymnasium and out to Goldenbridge Cemetery, focusing on the 1916 leaders, the ordinary soldiers who manned the barracks, and the women of the Rising. The separate Goldenbridge Cemetery tour runs at weekends.
The women of the Rising The exhibitions include a permanent section on the 77 women arrested and held at Richmond Barracks after the Rising, told through panels and a commemorative quilt. It’s the part of the site that covers ground most other 1916 attractions skip, and the reason the barracks are worth a visit even if you’ve already done Kilmainham.
Exhibitions Archival photographs, military artefacts and timelines trace the building’s 200 years, with a reconstructed classroom recalling the St Michael’s school era.
Inchicore Library Run by Dublin City Libraries and open here since autumn 2020, the library has a full lending collection, a junior room and regular events, all free. Note that on Mondays the building opens as a library only.
Garden and café The walled garden is a quiet green space with seasonal planting and a beehive. The Mess café, run by The Green Kitchen, does homemade breakfasts and lunches, and makes a handy stop before or after a longer walk across the Liffey.
Workshops and events The year-round Culture Connects programme runs art, ceramics, animation and drama workshops across all ages, alongside a Harvest Fair and a Christmas Fair. A guided walking tour also retraces the 1916 leaders’ route from the barracks to Kilmainham Gaol.
Getting there and practical details
Come by public transport if you can, because parking is the weak point. Dublin Bus routes 13, 68, G1 and G2 stop nearby, at St Michael’s Church (stop 1946) or Inchicore United Workman’s Club (stop 1989); route 122 is within walking distance. The nearest Luas stop is Goldenbridge on the Red Line, about a 10-minute walk, with Drimnagh also close; Heuston is a good 25 minutes on foot. There’s a bike stand at the door and a Dublinbikes station on Emmet Road.
- Parking: Very limited, and worse at present because of construction on the neighbouring green space. There’s a little free street parking on Bulfin Road; the nearest paid option is Park Rite Kilmainham, about 30 minutes’ walk away.
- Admission: €6 for a self-guided visit, €3 concessions, €19 for a family; guided tour prices vary, so book ahead through the website, especially around Easter and in summer.
- Accessibility: Step-free entry and wheelchair access throughout, including the exhibition rooms, library and garden.
- Facilities: Free Wi-Fi in the library, baby-changing, and a child-friendly café menu. Dogs are welcome in the garden and outdoor areas.
- Contact: Phone 01 524 2532, email info@richmondbarracks.ie.
Pair a visit with the walk across the Liffey to Kilmainham Gaol, or to the Arbour Hill memorial where the executed leaders are buried, for a full 1916 route in a single day.