A refurbished jail which played a major role in the 1798 Rebellion in Co Wicklow was officially opened by the President, Mrs McAleese, on Saturday.
Wicklow town jail was the main forwarding centre for the transportation of prisoners to New South Wales, and its refurbishment cost the county council £1.9 million.
Several scenes are explored within the jail, including prison life, the 1798 Rebellion and convict transportation.
Mrs McAleese said the new tourist facility added a dimension and insight into the pain endured there by prisoners. "It was a major undertaking by Wicklow County Council to re-create this jail in the way it has been done, with live actors playing the roles of prison officers and prisoners."
She described the jail as a facility which allowed people to look at events which had shaped present-day society in so many ways. "The standard achieved in refurbishing this jail is a credit to Wicklow County Council and it is a great legacy to future generations."
The County manager, Mr Blaise Treacy, who set the project in motion five years ago when the jail was still a county council depot, said it was his hope that the opening of the jail would boost visitor numbers to Co Wicklow.
"With the assistance of tableaux, audio-visual effects and actor interpreters, visitors to the jail can step back in time to the days when the harshest of punishments were handed out for the most insignificant crimes," said Mr Treacy.
"In this world of make-believe and special effects, it is easy to forget that real men, women and children were incarcerated here and that, sadly, many died in jail."
He explained that Wicklow jail represented a tangible link with the past. The fact that the restoration work was carried out exclusively by the council's own workers was not just a matter of great pride but, more importantly, it linked the men who restored the jail with their ancestors who built it.
Wicklow jail was built in 1702 and played a key role in the county's participation in the 1798 Rebellion. For many years it was used as a council depot and fire station.