pre-trip report Kilmainham Gaol tickets
 

Visiting Kilmainham Gaol was a priority for us as history addicts. I was glad I visited the website and learned that tickets for any given day go on sale3 at midnight Dublin time 28 days in advance. Being clever, I did the math and figured out that that was 7 pm EST in the States. I did a few trial runs and was glad I did - tickets seem to sell out almost immediately. So on Tuesday the 7th I had the site open with my finger hovering over the refresh button for the buy tickets now page. I clicked at 7pm exactly and I kid you not, half the tickets were already gone. Luckily I snagged two for the day we wanted (May 6th), only 45 minutes later than the hoped for time.

so if you wish to visit the gaol, plan your ticket purchase ahead of time.

This is quite valuable information to others, Laura. Good job!

I also would like to suggest to others to brush up on the fight for Irish independence before you go. While the key year of interest on the Kilmainham tour will be 1916 and The Easter Rising, please do a quick internet look-up of the story of Robert Emmet, largely responsible for 1803 rising. Emmet's story was the "banked furnace" the would later flame for short blaze nearly a century later in 1916 and then finally fuel Irish Independence by 1921.

For an entertaining fictionalized version of the history, read Morgan Llywelyn's "1916", and then follow those up with "1921"*.
If you really get into it, read a biography of Michael Collins. I have a lot of others I could suggest, but just doing the above will make everything you experience in the jail more profound.

I will attempt to purchase our tickets for the Kilmainham Gaol tonight at 7PM. Keeping my fingers crossed. I've done a trial run, too, so that I (hopefully) know what I am doing tonight. :)

Success!!! I was able to purchase our tickets for the Kilmainham Gaol tour for May 9. But it was a stressful process. I logged on to the site a few minutes before 7. Exactly at 7PM I clicked on refresh and like Laura said, half the tickets were already sold. I selected the time I want and the number of tickets; however, when I clicked on Book Now, I got a message that said "unable to communicate with the site". UGH! I had to try numerous, numerous times before I was allowed on to the page where I enter my name, contact info, and payment info. I assume this is because the site was extremely busy, and I had to just keep on clicking until I was allowed in. So, now I have our tickets, and I am very excited.

To anyone who wants to purchase Kilmainham Gaol tickets, log on to the site a few minutes early, refresh exactly at 7PM, and then keep on trying to get in if you aren't successful the first time. You have to be fast!

oh please Alessandra - as many suggestions as possible. We watched the latest PBS series on the uprising - and I read both Leon Uris books - but that was ages ago.

Hurray! We'll try not to keep you up too late the night before lol. Looking forward to meeting in person. Travel safely

Our tickets are for 10:45AM. We have to be there at 10:30.

Looking forward to our dinner with you and Steve!

Thanks to Fodor's travelers, I was able to score some Kilmainham Goal tickets for May 8th! Following this same procedure of refreshing the website and even went so far as to setting an alarm for 3 minutes before the allotted time. As you had stated, many of the premium time slots were blacked out, but we were able to get the 9:30 am tickets without any issues. We then went on to book the Book of Kells tour after procuring the time slot for Kilmainham Goal. I wanted some time between the events. We have also booked day trips to Powerscourt and Giants Causeway. Long days, but well worth getting out of the town for a few sites.

Happy Travels!

Pre-Reading
 

Laura, you did darn well with "Trinity". It's held up surprisingly well.
Pushing away from the Easter Rising events, I love Fintan O'Toole's "We Don't Know Ourselves".

I can't recall if you and Karen (for now on referred to as Fodor's Sisters United) are doing Northern Ireland. I have a ton of fiction I continue to read there.

OMG I love that we now have a Fodors moniker. Thank you AlessandraZoe - you made my day - definitely Fodor's Sisters United

and thanks for the reading recommendations - I am about to put holds on them at the library.

We aren't making it to Northern Ireland - I think Karen might be....

Challenger Grey that is awesome - we will all be there in the same week! it will be fun to read the different trip reports and see how our respective perceptions align.

AlesandraZoe, Yes, my husband and I are spending a week in Northern Ireland. 3 nights in Derry, 1 night at the Causeway Hotel in Bushmills, and 3 nights in Belfast. I would appreciate fiction recommendations!
Thank you!

Important update: insiders trick
 

If you try for the Kilmainham tickets and aren't able to get them at the magic moment 28 days in advance, one of our guides told us the insider skinny: Every day from 9:15 am to 9:30 they release more tickets. He says that when he wants to get them for one of his tours he can almost always snag them during the morning release.