16:14 - Akugbo, Tsotetsi and Dublin Youth Choir at Kilmainham Gaol

The concert is called 16:14, the local time Nelson Mandela walked free from Victor Verster Prison on February 11, 1990. The location is Kilmainham Gaol’s East Wing - the Victorian prison that held the leaders of the 1916 Rising before their executions. The pairing of title and venue is deliberate and resonant: a concert about liberation, set inside one of Ireland’s most significant sites of political imprisonment.

Kilmainham Gaol’s East Wing is one of the more extraordinary performance spaces in Dublin. The lantern-lit atrium with its catwalks and cell doors carries a weight that most concert halls don’t have. Music in this space carries differently.

What to Expect

A choral and musical performance featuring Akugbo, Tsotetsi, and Dublin Youth Choir, starting at exactly 4:14pm. The programme connects themes of freedom, resistance and solidarity across traditions - the Irish experience of political imprisonment and the South African experience of apartheid and liberation share more than the surface suggests.

The concert is free, which makes it accessible in the fullest sense. Events at Kilmainham Gaol tend to sell out quickly because the venue is small relative to the demand - book your place early.

Good to Know

• Free event, but booking is required
• Start time is 4:14pm precisely - the symbolism is intentional
• Kilmainham Gaol requires booking for all events, including free ones
• The East Wing is an enclosed indoor space
• Book early - free events at Kilmainham fill fast

Getting There

Kilmainham Gaol is on Inchicore Road, Dublin 8. Dublin Bus routes 13, 40, 68, 69 and 79 all pass near Kilmainham. The Luas Red Line to Heuston is about a 10-minute walk. If you’re coming from the city centre, the 13 bus on O’Connell Street runs directly to Kilmainham. Parking is available on the surrounding roads.