Prior to the establishment of the Glasnevin Cemetery, Irish Catholics had no cemeteries of their own in which to bury their dead and as the repressive Penal Laws (enforced on the Irish since the 17th century by the British) placed heavy restrictions on the public performance of Catholic services, it had become normal practice for Catholics to conduct a limited version of their own funeral services in Protestant cemeteries. This practice continued until an incident at a funeral held in Dublin provoked public outcry when a Protestant sexton reprimanded a Catholic priest for proceeding to perform a limited version of a funeral mass. The event was the final blow to the humiliation of the Catholic population.
The outcry prompted Daniel O'Connell, champion of Catholic rights, to launch a campaign and prepare a legal opinion proving that there was actually no law passed forbidding praying for a dead Catholic in a graveyard. O'Connell pushed for the opening of a burial ground in which both Irish Catholics and Protestants could give their dead dignified burial.
With the passing of the 'Act of Easement of Burial Bills' in 1824, a committee was formed to administrate the proposed cemetery. A small plot of land had been acquired for this purpose at Goldenbridge, Dublin but soon proved insufficient. After some investigation, a second site amounting to nine acres, was bought at Glasnevin - to be named Prospect Cemetery. The land was consecrated by Monsignor Yore in September 1831 and its first internee, a Michael Carey from Francis Street, Dublin, was buried in February 1832.
Glasnevin Cemetery, as it is now known, has grown from its original nine to over 120 acres. Approximately one and a half million men and women are laid to rest there.
Arcitectural Future
Glasnevin cemetery displays some fine examples of the work of many of Ireland's greatest sculptors, stonemasons and architects including J.J. McCarthy, James Pearse (father of Padraig Pearse who was executed for his role as leader in the 1916 Rising), John Hogan and Sir Thomas Farrell.
The cemetery itself is enclosed by a medieval style wall. Ten watchtowers stand overlooking the grounds. The towers were erected during the 19th century to deter body snatchers. These Bodysnatchers, or 'Sack-em-ups', made a living from stealing fresh corpses and selling them on to the medical profession for dissection. Only with the passing of the Anatomy Act of 1832 (which allowed for the donation of bodies to medical science), did these activities subside.
Take a wander through the cemetery to witness the wide variety of architectural trends prevalent during the nineteenth century.
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