Glasnevin Cemetery & Museum
The Graves of Ireland's Best Known Patriots
More Great Irish History!
Day one of the tour – we had the whole day free before meeting our tour group at 5:00 PM.
We used our Leap cards to easily travel by bus to Glasnevin. The tour there was our favorite experience in Dublin. Over 1.5 million are buried in this still active National Cemetery – more than the current number of Dublin residents!
Our guide gave us a great Irish history lesson, as we visited the graves of some of Ireland's most famous people. The stories and facts that he shared really set the stage for our travels throughout Ireland and deepened our knowledge of the country's struggle for independence.
Featured Graves at the Cemetery
Daniel O'Connell
Ireland's Most Celebrated Patriots
Daniel O'Connell, known as the "Liberator," is buried in an underground crypt. A Catholic, O'Connell was inspired by the French Revolution. He campaigned for the repeal of the Penal Laws which restricted the right of Irish Catholics in the 1800's. He went on to establish Glasnevin Cemetery, a place where Catholics and others, regardless of religion or social status, could have a proper burial. The guide pointed out the openings in the tomb, inviting us to reach in and touch the casket for good luck!
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Michael Collins participated in the Rising as a young, low-ranking officer. In the War of Independence that followed, he became a brilliant strategist of guerrilla warfare. He was among a delegation sent to England by de Valera to negotiate the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The resulting treaty was a compromise that required Irish to take an oath to the Crown. Back in Ireland, Collins became chairman of a provisional government and believed the compromise was a necessary step toward independence. The hardline rebels did not agree. In the civil war that ensued, Collins was killed by ambush on August 22, 1922.
Michael Collins
Éamon de Valera, a revolutionary leader during the 1916 Easter Rising and longtime politician, served as Ireland's president from 1959-1973.
Charles Stewart Parnell, leader of the Parlia-mentary Party in the 1880's, died a pauper and is buried in a mass grave marked by a rock bearing his name.
Kitty Kiernan, Michael Collin's fiancé when he was killed, lies in a grave near Collins. Kitty and Michael corresponded daily while he was in London during the Treaty negotiations.
James Larkin, "Big Jim," was one of the founders of the Irish Labour Party. He was involved in the early Communist movement in America, and later founded the Irish Worker League, a Communist party.
