The Board of Works hand the keys of Kilmainham Gaol over to a restoration committee.
In 1924 Kilmainham Gaol closed its doors, and over the decades the condition of the site and prison buildings have deteriorated. Reporter John Ross describes the current state of the building as dangerous, with
Collapsed ceilings and floors, jagged beams, piles of rubble are everywhere.
During a short ceremony Mr Farrell from the Board of Works presented the keys of the jail to Seamus Brennan, honorary secretary of Kilmainham Gaol Restoration Committee, in the presence of a group of Old IRA (Irish Republican Army) veterans.
Seamus Brennan who was imprisoned here following the Easter Rising of 1916 describes this moment as a very historic occasion. He has been campaigning for the preservation of Kilmainham Gaol, and acknowledges the scale of the work facing the restoration committee. While they may be short of money at present, they have plenty of help in the form of,
A wonderful band of volunteers.
Eamon Martin who was a member of Na Fianna Éireann admits he was initially skeptical when he heard about the project, but is now convinced that,
The job will be completed to the satisfaction of everybody concerned.
From 'City Newsreel' broadcast on 23 May 1960. The reporter is John Ross and the presenter is PP O'Reilly.
'City Newsreel' was a light hearted weekly news feature which began in 1954 and ran until 1968, featuring a compilation of reports from around Dublin city and beyond. The hosts were John Ross, Karl Jones, and P.P. O'Reilly with other presenters delivering reports including Gay Byrne and Kevin O'Kelly.
From the RTÉ Archives Acetate Disc Collection which has been digitised with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) Archiving Scheme.
