Dead interesting stories from the graveyards of dublin the. Its a cold but bright winter morning as i chat with shane macthomais outside the glasnevin. Ireland s necropolis, irish catholics had no cemeteries of their own as the. The first crematorium in the republic of ireland opened in 1982 at glasnevin cemetery.
Exclusive to glasnevin museum and written by our historian shane macthomais, this book is a must have for anyone. Glasnevin cemetery finglas road, glasnevin, dublin 11. During the 19th century, grave robbing was so commonplace with bodies sold to medical schools, including the royal college. Restoration an ongoing restoration programme began in 2007 with the aim of restoring the great necropolis of glasnevin cemetery to the pristine glory of the early 1900s. The ongoing restoration work is financed through tours, book sales, the. Jul 18, 20 the author, shane macthomais is a tour guide and resident historian at glasnevin. Instead, it takes us on a leisurely and above all entertaining stroll through a select number of the citys cemeteries, of which glasnevin stands preeminent as the national necropolis, sacred ground wherein lie the remains of so many famous people who formed and framed the history of. Glasnevin cemetery has the unique ability to offer a variety of post funeral receptions in the milestone gallery in the museum building. Current exhibitions at glasnevin cemetery museum include. The cemetery was opened back in 1832 by the great liberator daniel oconnell for the purpose of burying people of all religions and none with. Glasnevin cemetery opened in 1832 as a nondenominational graveyard the first of its kind in ireland and is the last resting place of some 1. Buy glasnevin by shane macthomais, peter harbison from waterstones today. Prior to the establishment of glasnevin cemetery, irish catholics had no cemeteries.
As the historian shane mac thomais notes in the introduction to his wonderful book on the cemetery, glasnevin. Guided dead interesting tour of irelands largest cemetery. Spend afternoon on an independent opentop bus tour and a visit to one of dublins top attractions guinness storehouse, teeling distillery, epic ireland, or the general post office museum. Glasnevin cemetery museum, glasnevin cemetery, finglas road. Supported by glasnevin trust, this beautiful coffee table book is a must read for anyone interested in this period of revolutionary change across ireland. A special rate on glasnevin irelands necropolis book. His father eamonn was also a wellknown historian, and had a television series about the history of dublin in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I had a fascinating afternoon with glasnevins history, though i still have reservations about a tourist attraction situated in a cemetery. A book about the stories of famous, infamous, and just plain interesting irish. A must see dublin attraction for anyone interested in. The cemetery was opened back in 1832 by the great liberator daniel oconnell for the purpose of burying people of all religions and none with dignity.
Visit glasnevin museum, irelands national necropolis, which is a whos who of modern irish history. Glasnevin cemetery museum was opened in april 2010 and is located within the walls of glasnevin cemetery. A wealth of irelands historical figures rest side by side in what has become irelands necropolis, now preserved by glasnevin trust. Glas naion, meaning stream of the infants, also known as glas naedhe, meaning stream of onaeidhe after an ancient chieftain is a neighbourhood of dublin, ireland, situated on the river tolka. Shane macthomais tells stories of the lives and deaths of fascinating people from dublin and beyondsome famous and some of them relatively unknown. Glasnevin museum is a must see for anyone interested in irish heritage and genealogy. It is not his first book and he previously wrote glasnevin, irelands necropolis available from the glasnevin trust. Glasnevin irelands necropolis a look at the fascinating history of the last resting place of 1. Glasnevin cemetery is the final resting place of 1. Instead, it takes us on a leisurely and above all entertaining stroll through a select number of the citys cemeteries, of which glasnevin stands preeminent as the national necropolis, sacred ground wherein lie the remains of so many famous people who formed and framed the history of ireland for the last 200 years. Dead interesting is his second book having already authored glasnevin, irelands necropolis a book which was written to launch the visitor centre. During the 1820s, the irish political leader daniel oconnell campaigned against these restrictions a campaign that resulted in the establishment of glasnevin cemetery in 1832. The exhibitions over two floors, shows the social, historical, political and artistic development of modern ireland through the lives of the generations buried in irelands necropolis. Glasnevin cemetery has grown from its original nine to over 120 acres p.
Northern welcome cie tours ireland, scotland, uk all. Passionate about chronicling the residents and history of glasnevin and related cemeteries, macthomais wrote a book in 2012 doing just that. Jan 12, 2014 mark moloney met glasnevin cemetery museum lead historian shane macthomais to speak to him about irelands necropolis. It took about 18 months in total to write dead interesting and i wrote it in spurts. Under the penal laws in ireland, catholics were only allowed to perform a limited burial service in a protestant graveyard, and catholic priests were sometimes punished for doing even that. Ulysses, james joyce so wondered leopold bloom as he wandered through glasnevin cemetery. Plan your visit to glasnevin cemetery museum and walking trail from central dublin. Glasnevin cemetery museum, both the guardian and storyteller for over 1.
Glasnevin cemetery is the largest cemetery in ireland and was first opened in 1832. Women of the irish revolution 191923 glasnevin trust shop. Women of the irish revolution by liz gillis tells the story of the role that women played both directly and indirectly in the irish revolution. Please provide me with your latest book news, views and details of waterstones special offers. The national botanic gardens is adjacent to glasnevin as is the gravediggers pub which is run by the same family of kavanaghs that opened it in 1832. Jan 30, 2014 mark moloney met glasnevin cemetery museum lead historian shane macthomais to speak to him about irelands necropolis. Founded in 1832, prospect cemetery, glasnevin rapidly became the largest cemetery in ireland and a place of national importance. This book demonstrates how the dublin cemeteries committee conducted its affairs and managed the various aspects of the operation of the cemetery.
Visit glasnevin museum, irelands national necropolis, which is a whos who of modern irish history and a fascinating insight into life in ireland. Most of the 11 million museum and heritage building at glasnevin. When browne arrived back in ireland, he entered the jesuit order and began. He is the son of the late eamonn macthomais, a well known historian and republican. The tour includes a visit the crypt of daniel o connell. Irelands necropolis paperback shane macthomais author. I watched a procession of funeral cars sweep in the grounds, just after i had been sitting having a leisurely lunch with lovely cheesecake and reading my book at the tower cafe. Glasnevin cemetery is such an interesting place and now i want to go back again so i can look at all the graves from stories in the book. Tour glasnevin cemetery museum, irelands national necropolis, a whos who of modern irish history. Glasnevin cemetery covers 124 acres of glorious parkland.
Fitting addition to national necropolis the irish times. These include the nations great and good, which is why, over the years, it has taken on the role of national cemetery. Glasnevin museum and cemetery offers a dynamic interpretation of irelands history told through the lives of the people buried in the necropolis. It is estimated that there are about 1,200,000 burials of several denominations and nationalities in it. Glasnevin cemetery museum, glasnevin cemetery, finglas. Glasnevin trust is the largest provider of funeral services in ireland. Discover the stories of daniel oconnell, charles stewart parnell, michael collins, eamon devalera, countess marckievicz and brendan behan to name but a few.
Within the pages of this book the author shane macthomais. The cemetery covers 124 acres of glorious parkland with plenty to appreciate perfect for those interested in exploring the legacies of irelands heroes. After a pleasant amble around colourful flowerbeds and glasshouses, i headed up the road to the cemetery, entering via the prospect gate, passing appropriately enough a pub called the. Shane macthomais to speak to him about irelands necropolis. Ideal for a repeat traveller, this tour wanders off the beaten path to explore the spectacular beauty of the north and west of ireland. Congratulations to all concerned glasnevin cemetery. In the evening, enjoy a welcome drink with your group before enjoying dinner on your own at the hotel or in the nearby coastal town of dun laoghaire. View a 360 virtual tour of glasnevin cemetery dublin, ireland. National drawing day at glasnevin cemetery 2018 announced. I love this book, written after much obvious research by its author, shane macthomais, a once revered guide at glasnevin. Northern welcome 9 day guided tour from dublin to dublin with cie tours. Bloomsday enthusiasts celebrate ulysses at glasnevin cemetery.
It was established by daniel oconnell as a place where people of all religions and none could bury their dead with dignity. It is the final resting place of daniel oconnell, michael collins, charles stewart parnell, brendan behan and other prominent people. Dead interesting stories from the graveyards of dublin. After seeing the movie, a million dubliners, i wanted to read further about macthomais knowledge of the history of glasnevin and other historical people buried in the old cemeteries of dublin. Head to kilkenny for a walking tour through kilkennys medieval mile to view merchants houses and historic pubs. Its a cold but bright winter morning as i chat with shane macthomais outside the glasnevin museum, in the shadow of the great round tower erected over the tomb of daniel oconnell. Glasnevin cemetery, dublin, 18321900 maynooth studies in. On a day that promised to be dry, i set off for glasnevin, planning to divide my time between the national botanic gardens and glasnevin museum and cemetery. Mark moloney met glasnevin cemetery museum lead historian shane macthomais to speak to him about ireland s necropolis. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Originally known as prospect cemetery, glasnevin is irelands largest burial place. Glasnevin cemetery museum attractions dublin, ireland virtual. Since 1832, more than one and a half million people have been interred in glasnevin. Irelands necropolis, irish catholics had no cemeteries of their own as the.
Northern welcome cie tours 9 days from dublin to dublin. Dead interesting, glasnevin trust, shane macthomais, mercier press. While primarily residential, glasnevin is also home to the national botanic gardens, national meteorological office and a range of other state bodies, and dublin city university. Learn about irelands rich history through the duration. Described as irelands national necropolis, its open to all denominations and home to some 1. Glasnevin cemetery in dublin, county dublin find a grave.