'Over thy dead body': The Cemetery Blog

Tombstone Tuesday: Nicholas Donnelly, Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin, 1837-1920

2012-02-28T01:02:00.000-05:00

For biographical information about Nicholas Donnelly see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Donnelly

Click on photographs to view larger versions.
All photographs Copyright©irisheyesjg2012.

In the shadow of Croagh Patrick: The graves of Murrisk Abbey

2012-02-17T01:02:00.000-05:00

Graveyard Rabbits Carnival: Favourite Cemetery Photograph

2012-02-15T09:18:00.001-05:00

The Association of Graveyard Rabbits has resurrected the Graveyard Rabbits Carnival, and with a big thank you to them I humbly submit this photograph taken in the Prospect Cemetery at Glasnevin Dublin as my favourite. I have had the privilege of photographing many beautiful stones in many Irish cemeteries, but this photograph really speaks to me. It makes me think about all of the people interred in this space so long ago, and their family members who are no longer around to brush away the dregs of time and straighten the stones. It also makes me think about our responsibility to remember those who have gone before us, to remember them and to take care of the places in which their mortal remains now lie.

Copyright©irisheyesjg2012.
Click on photograph to view larger version.

Dixon Cornelius O'Keeffe: interred beneath one of his beloved antiquities

2012-02-06T09:10:00.002-05:00

This high cross, sculpted in the style of crosses produced in the twelfth century, stands over the grave of Dixon Cornelius O'Keeffe. This cross is an exact copy of a 12th century cross which stood at Cashel, and was the object of widespread interest, particularly among 19th century Irish antiquaries. In his 1915 book Historic Graves in Glasnevin Cemetery, author Richard O'Duffy says of Dixon Cornelius O'Keeffe, he had "a love stronger than death for the antiquities of his native Cashel."

In addition to the relief carvings of the crucified Christ and of St. Patrick, the cross is particularly remarkable because of the posts which support the arms of the cross. The design harkens back to that of early free-standing wooden crosses on which such supporting posts were a common feature.

References for further reading

Dublin Cemeteries Committee. Death & Design in Victorian Glasnevin, ColourBooks Ltd., 2000.
O'Duffy, Richard J.. Historic Graves in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, 1915.

Copyright©irisheyesjg2012. All Rights Reserved.
Click on photographs to view larger version.

"A Munificent Benefactor to Religion": John Donegan, Dublin Jeweller, 1862

2012-01-26T09:15:00.000-05:00

This pedestal tomb, which stands over the grave of John Donegan, speaks not only to his eminence as a Dublin jeweller, but also to the clout he bore as the official jeweller to the Catholic clergy of Dublin. Donegan was a devout Catholic, and it was to him that the Catholic clergy went to have chalices and other accoutrements fashioned for their practice. Also, to each priest assigned to go to a foreign mission, John Donegan gave a silver chalice, a paten (a plate used during the sacrament of the Eucharist), and a silver case within which they would carry holy oils. As his stone attests he was indeed, "A Munificent Benefactor to Religion".

The stone reads:

Pray For

The Repose Of The Soul Of

John Donegan

Dame Street

A Munificent Benefactor to Religion

Who Departed This Life

The 18th of November

1862

Aged 68 years

RIP

Reference:

Heritage Council, Death & Design in Victorian Glasnevin, 2000, Publications Grant Scheme.

Copyright©irisheyesjg2012. All Rights Reserved.
Click on photographs to view larger version.

In memory of his dearly beloved children...

2012-01-24T06:24:00.000-05:00

The stone reads:

Erected by

R.J. Murphy J.P.

Wood Park Glenageary

In Memory Of

His Dearly Beloved Children

Nora

Died May 21 1887, Aged 11 months

Elsie

Died May 24 1887, Aged 2 years

Teddie

Died May 24 1887, Aged 3 1/2 years

Richard James

Born & Died Feb 2, 1874

Thy will be done.

Click on photographs to view larger version.

Wordless Wednesday, almost: 'The Woman in White'

2012-01-11T01:03:00.000-05:00

Evocative of the white clad figure in Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White,

“...As if it had that moment sprung out of the earth or dropped from the heaven — stood the figure of a solitary Woman, dressed from head to foot in white garments...”

The gravestone dedicated to Ellen Palles, Glasnevin:

Click on photos to view larger versions.
All photos copyright©irisheyesjg2012.

'Among the great and the good': Michael Carey, the first interred in Glasnevin

2012-01-05T01:02:00.000-05:00

Beneath

Lie The Remains Of

MICHAEL

The Beloved Son of MICHAEL CAREY

Of Francis St

Who Was The First Ever Interred

In This Cemetery

22nd February 1832

When Daniel O'Connell founded the Prospect Cemetery at Glasnevin, and opened it in 1832, it was with the intention of providing a burial ground for all, no matter what creed, no matter what rank in life an individual might hold. With this in mind, it is perhaps fitting that the first person interred in the cemetery should be a young boy of little consequence in the eyes of the world.

Michael Carey was an eleven year old boy, the son of a labourer. He lived with his parents, Michael and Bridget Carey, on Francis Street in Phibsboro, Dublin. The Glasnevin record does not state a cause of death, but bears only his name and address. In addition, the number of the sexton is noted as '1', the number of the registrar is noted as '3', and the degrees of latitude and longitude are stated to detail the position of the grave: Longitude 0°, Latitude 43°. The grave is in the Garden section of the cemetery in an area which in 1834 was named Curran Square. The square's namesake John Philpot Curran is buried in a huge sarcophagus just a few yards to the left of Michael Carey's grave.

As you can see from the photographs above, the simple stone which marks Michael Carey's grave stands directly beside the gate which was the original entrance into Glasnevin. Since this first interment in 1832 more than 1.5 million people have been buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Click on photographs to view larger version.
Copyright©irisheyesjg 2012. All Rights Reserved.

In the midst of the metropolis, a Huguenot burial ground

2012-01-04T01:03:00.000-05:00

Along the walk between St. Stephen's Green and Merrion Square, it is sometimes easy to miss this Huguenot burial ground tucked in between the buildings. Founded in 1693 by the French Huguenot non-conformist churches of Dublin, this cemetery is a small but important one. The large stone marker in the last photograph bears the names of over 200 Huguenot families whose members were interred in these grounds.

If you are interested in Huguenot interments, you may wish to visit my post: The Huguenot Communal Plot: 1713-1830: Mount Jerome Cemetery

Click on photographs to view larger version.
All photographs Copyright©irisheyesjg2012. All Rights Reserved.

New year, new look for 'Over thy dead body': The Cemetery Blog

2012-01-03T06:57:00.000-05:00

With the new year comes a new look for 'Over thy dead body': The Cemetery Blog. You'll notice that the forest green background has been replaced by an 'In Memoriam' easel which stands at the foot of a grave in the Prospect Cemetery at Glasnevin, Dublin, and the overall colour theme has changed. I've chosen to use the easel image as my new background because the posts on this blog serve as a memorial of sorts for those whose graves are featured within. Over the next while I will be making further changes to the blog, such as creating additional pages, and moving elements around. Today I've included the W.H. Auden poem 'Funeral Blues' which I presented in the very first post on this blog. I hope you enjoy reading the poem, and I hope you'll let me know what you think of the new background.

Funeral Blues

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and my Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

©W.H. Auden 1936

Blog Carolling: 'Angels heard on High'

2011-12-09T14:07:00.006-05:00

With a thank you to footnoteMaven, 'Over thy dead body' is joining in the annual tradition of Blog Carolling. Please enjoy 'Angels heard on High', angels atop monuments in the cemeteries of Mount Jerome and Glasnevin in Dublin, Ireland, set to the sounds of the Christendom College Choir singing the traditional Christmas carol, 'Angels We Have Heard On High'.

May you and yours enjoy all the blessings of the holidays!

I'm also blog carolling over at my other blog, 'On a flesh and bone foundation': An Irish History. Please stop by and have a look and a listen.

Wordless Wednesday, almost: Royal Irish Constabulary, Glasnevin

2011-12-07T01:02:00.004-05:00

This memorial to members of the Royal Irish Constabulary, who are interred at Glasnevin, marks interments which took place between 1884 and 1965. If you have an ancestor who served with the RIC and you believe they may be named on this stone, send me an email at irisheyesjennifer @gmail dot com and I will check the photos with a loupe to draw out the information.

*Click on photographs to view larger version.
All Photographs Copyright©J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Tombstone Tuesday: Rev. James Fay, Glasnevin Cemetery

2011-12-06T01:01:00.081-05:00

Just south of O'Connell's circle stands this monument over the grave of Reverend Father James Fay, founder and Guardian of the Orphanage of St. Catherine's Parish, Dublin. The statue depicts Fay as the all encompassing guardian of orphans, two of whom are featured along with him. In the 1879 book, A Guide to Glasnevin Cemetery, it is written of James Fay, "of him it may be truly said that his bones have a tomb of orphans' tears wept on them".

Fashioned by Westmeath born, Dublin raised, sculptor extraordinaire James Cahill, the statue was presented by the people of Dublin as an expression of their profound regret over the loss of Fay. Reverend James Fay was a man noted not only for his work with orphans, but also for his religious devotion and ardent love of his country Ireland. Fay died 30 January 1861 at the age of 41 years. The monument was erected in 1864.

Click on photographs to view larger version.
All Photographs Copyright©J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Burial Ground of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, Glasnevin

2011-12-05T01:02:00.009-05:00

In addition to this burial plot of Dublin Metropolitan Police Officers at Glasnevin, there is also a DMP gravesite at Mount Jerome (click for link).

*Click on photographs to view larger version.
All Photographs Copyright©J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Intriguing names in the Necropolis: Hercules and Achilles

2011-12-01T01:02:00.011-05:00

Sometimes I find myself drawn to tombstones, not only because of their beauty, but because of the names which they bear. Here are a couple of examples from Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin, namely Hercules Ellis and Achilles Daunt:

Hercules Ellis

The stone reads:

Here lieth all that was mortal

Hercules Ellis

83 Stephens Green

"The well beloved and devoted son

Sarah and Nicholas Ellis"

Whose spirit passed to God

On the 29th of August 1879.

Achilles Daunt, D.D., 1832-1878

The stone reads (in part):

Erected

By the members of his family

In Memory Of

ACHILLES DAUNT D.D.

DEAN OF CORK

Born At Kinsale August 23rd 1832

Click on the links below for biographical information about the interred:
Achilles Daunt
Hercules Ellis
Click on photos to view larger version.
Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Wild About Wilde: The Wilde Family Tomb, Mount Jerome Cemetery

2011-11-16T01:02:00.017-05:00

In Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin, stands this monument to the family Wilde, whose best known offspring was Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde, dramatist extraordinaire. Both the location in Mount Jerome and the details on the epitaph to Sir William Wilde may leave one with the impression that the Wildes were a wildly successful family, to use a bad pun; however, this was not the case.

Sir William Wilde was a highly respected physician, and as his stone attests "surgeon oculist to her majesty Queen Victoria"; however, his life was riddled with scandal. He was accused of seducing a colleague's young daughter, had three children with women outside of his marriage, and upon his death was found to be heavily in debt and virtually penniless. Apart from Oscar, who became the toast of the London stage in spite of his own scandals, including a period of imprisonment, it appears that the rest of the family enjoyed little success. Oscar's brother and mother died penniless as well. At the end of his life Oscar Wilde was living in France; he died in Paris, and is entombed beneath a fabulous Art Deco headstone at Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

Lady Wilde, whose achievements are described at length on a side panel of this tomb, is not interred within; instead she is buried in an unmarked common grave in Kensel Green Cemetery in England. Unfortunately, at the time of her death, there was neither money to pay for a headstone, nor for a private plot. Her panel on this stone in part reads:

In Memoriam

Jane Francesca Lady Wilde

Speranza** of the nation

writer translator poet and

nationalist, author of works

on Irish folklore Early advocate of

Equality for women and founder of

a leading literary salon

Born Dublin 27 December 1821

Died London 3 February 1896

Wife of William

and mother of...

**(Speranza was her pen name)

Also mentioned on the panel but interred elsewhere are William, the eldest son, and Isola, the family's beloved daughter. Tragically, Isola died in February of 1867, just weeks shy of her tenth birthday, at the home of her aunt Margaret Nobel in County Longford. Isola is interred in St. John's Churchyard, Edgeworthstown, County Longford. The lines at the bottom of the panel on this are from the commemorative poem, 'Requiescat', which Oscar wrote in Avignon France seven years after Isola's death.

Tread lightly, she is near

Under the snow,

Speak gently, she can hear

The daisies grow.

See Wordless Wednesday: Wilde about Wilde for photographs of the Wilde's Dublin home and the Merrion Square statue of Oscar.

All photographs Copyright©J.Geraghty-Gorman 2010,2011.
*Click on photographs to view larger version.
Reference:
Blain, Virginia., Patricia Clements, and Isobel Grundy, authors. The Feminist Companion to Literature in English: Woman Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present, Yale University Press, 1990.

Tombstone Tuesday: To the memory of Spring

2011-11-15T01:03:00.012-05:00

Click on photographs to view larger version.

Tombstone Tuesday: Across a bridge to the ever after...

2011-11-01T01:03:00.032-04:00

Far back in the Prospect Cemetery at Glasnevin you will find this sort of 'island' of graves. You must cross a bridge over a 'moat' of crypt doorways in order to get to the graves. As you walk through the cemetery, observing fields of graves row upon row, this 'island' set apart seems a strange find.

Click on photographs to view larger version.
All photographs Copyright©J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Hallowe'en: The curtain lifts between the worlds tonight...

2011-10-31T01:03:00.081-04:00

There is a well worn saying in my family that I often keep in mind when entering very old cemeteries, and it is, "You've more to fear from the living than the dead". Nevertheless, at times I have found myself feeling quite unsettled in certain cemeteries, none more than Mount Jerome in Harold's Cross, Dublin. In the past I've talked about the strange weather I've encountered here, and the whispers which have at times filled the air as I wandered through this place alone. Since the curtain lifts between the worlds tonight on All Hallows Eve, I thought I'd share with you some of the areas of the cemetery in which I have felt less than comfortable, and thought perhaps I was not alone.

Among the tombs on The Long Walk. After a heavy rain there seemed to be an odd mist lingering in the air.

In the lane of crypt doorways below ground level. Whenever I find myself down here I wonder why it is I do this.

Crypt doorways on the left hand side.

Emerging from below ground level, the gravel was slippery and the hair on the back of my neck was definitely standing up.

In the midst of summer, on a bright August day, fall had already come to this place, and there's that mist in the air again.

Check out this post: Whispers in Mount Jerome, about another unsettling Mount Jerome experience.
Also, check out the Gresham family vault, built for a lady who feared being buried alive.

The history of a life: Captain James Vaughan 1829-1873

2011-10-26T04:47:00.000-04:00

The epitaph on this beautiful stone tells the story of almost the entire life of James Vaughan, from the time he joined the navy at the age of 12 until his death at the age of 44.

The stone reads:

Sacred

To The Memory Of

Captain James Vaughan R.N_C.B.,

Who depart this life 29th April 1873 Aged 44 years

He entered the Royal Navy in the year 1841 on board H.M.S. Scout

and was present at the operations on the River Plate.

As Lieutenant he served in the Baltic and Black seas during the years 18?4 - ?

and in the latter on board H.M.S. Britannia took part in the attack on the

Batteries of Sebastopol.

In 1857 he joined H.M.S. Shannon Captain Sir William Peel V.C._K.C.B. as senior

lieutenant and proceeded to India. During the Mutiny he served as second in

command of the naval brigade under that officer and on his death from small pox

assumed the sole command. He advanced to the Relief of Lucknow and there

distinguished himself by his coolness and daring in taking his guns with a few yards

of the walls and breaching them for the storming party.

For his services with the brigade he was promoted to the rank of commander, was

awarded the Companionship of the Bath, and on his arrival in England was further

advanced to the rank of captain.

As well as being a thorough sailor, he was an accomplished and gallant officer,

an affectionate and devoted husband, a warm and sincere friend, and died beloved

and regretted by all who knew him.

This monument is erected by his widow,

Margaret Vaughan

Click on photographs to view larger version.
All photographs Copyright©J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: Little Girl Lost, Deansgrange, Blackrock, Ireland

2011-09-27T01:16:00.025-04:00

The stone reads:

In Loving Memory Of

Mary Olive (Olif) Hamilton Hardy

Only Child of Major W. A. & Emily G. Hardy

Died on the 13th Jan. 1913

Aged 12 Years

“That (Her) Rock was Christ”

I. Cor. X. 4.

“So Shall We Ever Be With The Lord”

1 Thess. IV. 17

Click on photographs to view larger version.
All Photographs Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Packing my bags and heading 'home'

2011-08-12T01:02:00.073-04:00

As I prepare for my annual research trip to Ireland, things have been a bit "off" lately in terms of blogging on a regular basis. I have not been posting as much as usual, due to the amount of work I have been doing in preparation for my trip. Each year a research trip for me means a combination of family history research and research for my work as an historian. Given that there are only 24 hours in a day, and I really do need to sleep for at least a few of those hours, something's got to give, and unfortunately that may mean blogging suffers.

However...

I hope you'll be patient with me. My plan is to return with a lot of great discoveries, both in terms of family history and Irish history. Graveyard 'rabbiting' is definitely on my to do list, and I hope to come away with a lot of photos and transcriptions. I have scheduled a number of posts to appear while I am away; some are revisits, some are new.

At times I will be away from the capital of Dublin, and so I am uncertain of my ability to regularly access internet connectivity. In the past this has proven to be an interesting challenge in some of the less populated areas of the country, so I will try my best to post when I am in Dublin. I will be returning home the third week of September, sleeping off the jet lag, and then putting my nose to the grindstone in terms of getting back to work, and getting back to blogging.

On 19 October, through Legacy Family Tree, I will be presenting a webinar entitled, 'Ah hold your whisht, and tell me the true story': Uncovering Your Irish Family History. If you are interested in Irish family history research, I hope that you will join me for it.

Happy Graveyard Rabbiting!

Until we 'meet' again,

Jennifer

Click on photo to view larger version.
Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Wordless Wednesday: Charlotte

2011-08-10T05:59:00.003-04:00

The inscription reads:

The Family Burial Place

Mrs CHARLOTTE BRADLEY

who died 12th of March

MDCCCLXIII [1863]

Click on photographs to view larger version.
All photographs Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Tombstone Tuesday: 'Remember me when I am gone away...'

2011-08-09T01:02:00.008-04:00

Remember me when I am gone away,

Gone far away into the silent land;

When you can no more hold me by the hand,

Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.

Remember me when no more day by day

You tell me of our future that you plann'd:

Only remember me; you understand

It will be late to counsel then or pray.

Yet if you should forget me for a while

And afterwards remember, do not grieve:

For if the darkness and corruption leave

A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,

Better by far you should forget and smile

Than that you should remember and be sad.

The lines of poet Christina Rossetti's 'Remember' are very meaningful to me because I recited the poem at the interment of my own father. I like to keep the poem in mind when I am walking among the tombs of those who have gone before us. It serves as a good reminder to not only observe and record what we see, but to remember that those interred were once real flesh and blood individuals with hopes and dreams, not so different from our own, who want to be remembered.

Click on photographs to view larger version.
All photographs Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Military Monday: Soldiers of Liberation

2011-08-01T01:02:00.030-04:00

This is a cross post to Military Monday: 'Sign me up...for sedition'. The post features documents from the Irish War of Independence which are germane to the history of my family, and related to the persons interred or commemorated herein.

Laurence J. Kettle, member of the Provisional Committee of the Irish Volunteers

The stone reads:

In Memoriam

Charles Stewart Kettle

Newtown, St. Margaret's County Dublin

died 29 June 1952.

Also his beloved wife

Beda

died 11 June 1956

And his brother

Dr. Laurence J. Kettle

died 27th August 1960.

And his sister

Catherine Kettle

died 13 September 1967.

Thomas M. Kettle

In addition to standing against British hegemony in Ireland, Thomas Kettle fought in World War I. For the story of his military history see Military Monday: Thomas Kettle. Thomas Kettle is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing (Pier and Face 16C), Somme Battlefields, France.

Thiepval Memorial to the Missing in the Somme.
Photo courtesy Commonwealth War Graves Commission

In addition to the commemoration at Thiepval, Thomas Kettle is also remembered with the marker below at Island of Ireland Peace Park (click for site) in Messines, near Ypres in Flanders, Belgium. Dedicated to the memory of the soldiers of Ireland who were wounded or lost in the Great War of 1914-1918, the park was officially opened in November of 1998 by then President of Ireland Mary McAleese, and Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, and King Albert II of Belgium.

The lines on this tablet are from a sonnet Tom Kettle penned to his young daughter shortly before his death, a sonnet entitled 'To My Daughter Betty'.

Anne Magee, Cumann na mBan 1917-1921
Michael Magee, A Company, 1st Battalion, Dublin Active Service Unit, 1913-1921. (and their parents)

Wordless Wednesday: Burial Place of Dublin Metropolitan Police: Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin

2011-07-27T01:02:00.008-04:00

Click on photographs to view larger version.
All Photographs Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Tombstone Tuesday: Captain Holland Lecky McGhee: 20 January 1844

2011-07-26T01:02:00.001-04:00

Offering little information about him this teetering stone reads:

Captain Holland Lecky McGhee

He fell asleep looking unto Jesus

as all his Salvation

on the 20th day of January 1844

in the 45th year of his Age.

Mystery Monday: Widow of Francis Mills

2011-07-25T01:02:00.005-04:00

Her maiden name is unrecorded; her forename will soon be dust, but we are told Anne was the Widow of Francis Mills. As is often the case in this period, Anne is remembered by virtue of her connection to her husband.

The stone reads:

In Memory of

Anne

Widow of Francis Mills

Died

13 February

1869,

Aged

80 Years

Click on photographs to view larger version.
All photographs Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Mystery Monday: A familiar grave with an unfamiliar occupant

2011-07-18T08:07:00.000-04:00

Grave of Margaret Dunning, interred 1884, and Family grave of my granduncle Michael Francis Magee, his parents Patrick Magee and Mary Dunne Magee, and sister Anne Magee Geraghty.

This is perhaps not a mystery as such, but a series of interesting happenings which led me to uncover a brief history about an unknown person interred in the same grave as my paternal great-grandparents, grandmother, and granduncle.

A while ago, when I was getting some documents in order, for some reason I could not find the hard copy record I had created of those buried in this family grave. I had been in possession of this record since 2008 when a woman in the (then very small) reception office of Glasnevin gave me the grave number, and a list of persons interred within, namely, my grandmother, her parents, and brother Michael.

Since about 2007 the Prospect Cemetery at Glasnevin, popularly known as Glasnevin Cemetery, has been undergoing a renovation programme. In addition to renovating the grounds and building the new visitor's centre, they rebuilt their website. It is now set up with lots of good information including a searchable records section. On my misplaced record, I thought I had all of the information about who was interred in the plot, so I could have just created another hard copy record; however, I had a sort of odd feeling that I should confirm the information I had, and so I looked up the record on the Glasnevin website. When I did I discovered there was something different about the record, an extended version was offered, with more information than the reception woman had offered in 2008. Much to my surprise I discovered another person is interred in the grave with my family members. A woman was interred in the plot a full thirty-seven years before Michael Magee was laid to rest in this grave, a woman to whom the Magees may or may not be related, a woman named Margaret Dunning.

Full record of Margaret Dunning's interment from Glasnevin Register

Margaret Dunning was the wife of William Christopher Dunning, an Inland Revenue Officer. Together they lived in a house at 22 Nicholas Street in Dublin, Ireland. Margaret and William had one son, Samuel, who was born in April of 1884; he was only six months old when his mother died. Margaret died on 6 October 1884 of Phthisis {Tuberculosis}; she was 24 years old. On 8 October 1884, she was interred in plot #320.5 in the St. Bridget’s section of Glasnevin.

It is not unusual that someone who is not a family member would be interred in such a grave. There are many graves of this nature in Glasnevin. Margaret Dunning's family would have paid for her to be interred, but did not purchase the plot itself. The grave would have been unmarked, and able to be reopened for other persons to be interred within. When Michael Magee died in 1921 he was interred in this grave. Only the party who purchases the plot is allowed to erect a stone. In this case the plot was purchased by those connected to the Magees, a stone was erected, and so Margaret Dunning's presence in this grave goes unmentioned on the stone.

An interesting twist to this story...

In August of 2010, one Friday I decided to take an afternoon off from researching in Dublin. I walked over to the area near Trinity College and just hopped on the first bus I saw. Along the way this bus travelled down Nicholas Street. I had no reason for photographing anything on Nicholas Street, but for some inexplicable reason I felt drawn to photograph this group of houses; perhaps I was attracted to the brilliant orange shade of the brick. Little did I know at that time that one of these houses is number 22 Nicholas Street in which young Margaret Dunning lived with her family in 1884.

*Click on photographs to view larger version.
All Materials ©Copyright J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

"Bury me in Ireland, the land of my adoption...": Thomas Drummond: 1797-1840

2011-07-15T01:03:00.001-04:00

The epitaph bears a paraphrase of what were allegedly his last words:

BURY ME IN IRELAND

THE LAND OF MY ADOPTION

I HAVE LOVED HER WELL

AND SERVED HER FAITHFULLY.

During his short life of only 43 years, Scottish-born, Thomas Drummond served as a Captain in the Royal Engineers, Head of the Boundary Commission (1832), Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Under Secretary of Ireland (1835 until his death 1840).

Popularly known as 'The Drummond Era', it is his time as Under Secretary of Ireland for which Thomas Drummond is best remembered. It is said that he was respected by the Irish because he ruled from Dublin Castle with impartiality and fairness. During his tenure, Drummond grappled with injustice in the legal system, monitored issues accruing as a result of the growing Orange Order movement, and established a centralized Police Service. He had other initiatives planned as well when he died while in office, 15 April 1840.

For more information see: Thomas Drummond.

Click on photographs to view larger version.
All photos Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Wordless Wednesday: Cruciform: The traditional and the untraditional

2011-07-13T01:01:00.002-04:00

All photographs Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All Rights Reserved.
Click on photographs to view larger version.

Tombstone Tuesday: Cruciform City

2011-07-12T01:01:00.020-04:00

Just inside the main gates of Glasnevin Cemetery, on the left hand side, lie row upon row of cruciform tombs. Interred within are members of the clergy, priests and canons, and other men of stature within the religious community. Many of the tombs have ornately carved celtic crosses adorning them, and some bear only simple crucifixes.

All photographs Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All Rights Reserved.

*Click on photographs to open larger version.

Among the rows of cruciform tombs: William J. Walsh, Archbishop of Dublin

2011-07-11T01:02:00.004-04:00

Towering over the rows of cruciform tombs in Glasnevin cemetery is the final resting place of William J. Walsh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, and Primate of Ireland. Walsh was born in Dublin 30 January 1841. He was educated at the Catholic University, under Cardinal Newman, and continued his clerical studies at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. After graduation, he was appointed Professor of Dogmatic and Moral Theology, a post he held from 1867 to 1878. He became president of Maynooth College in 1881.

Walsh took an active part in public affairs, and was a leading nationalist in the hierarchy of the Irish clergy. Walsh openly endorsed the land agitation movement of the 1880s. Possibly because of the stand that he took, the British government opposed his appointment as Archbishop of Dublin in 1885. He was a strong supporter of Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party and founder of the Irish National Land League; however, when the scandal broke of Parnell’s relationship with Mrs Kitty O’Shea, Walsh turned against Parnell.

William J Walsh died in Dublin in 9 April 1921. Following his death he was described as “the greatest Archbishop of Dublin since St Laurence O’Toole”. His monument in Glasnevin cemetery was sculpted by renowned Irish sculptor Albert Power.

All photographs Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All rights reserved.
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Biographical Reference: Glasnevin Trust.

Tombstone Tuesday: The Anchor of the Family

2011-07-05T01:02:00.008-04:00

The stone reads:

Erected by

Kate Barry

In Loving Memory of Her Husband

George David Barry

Late of William Street, Limerick

Who Died 26th November 1887 Aged 46

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Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Wordless Wednesday: Gated Community: Glasnevin

2011-06-29T01:02:00.013-04:00

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All photographs Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: A family, one of many: Glasnevin

2011-06-28T01:02:00.012-04:00

The stone reads:

Erected by

Mr. Henry Chapman

of Great Brunswick Street

in memory of his beloved Daughter

Elizabeth

who departed this life 31st May 1834

Aged 1 year

Also his Daughter Maria who died 8th Dec. 1838

In the 4th year of her age

Her also the remains of his beloved Wife Sarah

who departed this life the 15th of December 1840

Aged 42 Years.

Here also lie the remains of the above named

Henry Chapman who died October the 25th, 1846

Aged 64 years.

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All photographs Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Wordless Wednesday: In the shadows and out: More Angels

2011-06-22T01:02:00.004-04:00

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All photographs Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: The Very Reverend Daniel William Cahill, D.D.

2011-06-21T01:02:00.063-04:00

Daniel William Cahill, D.D. (Doctor of Divinity), a Catholic Priest, was born in 1796 in Queen's County, Ireland. After completing studies at Maynooth, he was ordained, and for a time served as a professor in Carlow College. He was a noted orator and lecturer in Chemistry and Astronomy, the author of many pamphlets, and for a brief period, the editor of a Dublin newspaper. He removed to the United States, and died in Boston 28 October 1864. In 1885 his remains were returned to Ireland, and interred in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin. In 1887, as a symbol of grateful recognition of Doctor Cahill's service to Ireland, his compatriots erected this statue over his grave.

Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.
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Reference for Cahill bio:

O'Hart, John. Irish Pedigrees; or the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation, Murphy & McCarthy, Dublin, 1923.

To mark Bloomsday: Glasnevin

2011-06-16T05:55:00.003-04:00

from James Joyce's Ulysses:

Paddy Dignam: (In a hollow voice) “It is true. It was my funeral. Doctor Finucane pronounced life extinct when I succumbed to the disease from natural causes."

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Copyright© J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Tombstone Tuesday: By the book...

2011-06-14T01:02:00.009-04:00

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All photographs Copyright© J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Wordless Wednesday: Slow down in this slow place...

2011-06-08T01:04:00.007-04:00

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Tombstone Tuesday: Eternal Flame

2011-05-31T01:02:00.018-04:00

I found this tombstone particularly compelling not only because of its shape, but also because of the flame of stone which emanates from the urn which sits atop the stone. An 'eternal' flame, cast in stone, never to be extinguished.

The inscription reads:

Erected by

Jonathan Bagnall

of Rathmines

In Memory of His beloved Wife

Mary

Who departed this life

18th March 1844

Aged 72 years.

Jonathan Bagnall Esq.

Died 26th May 1852

Aged 86 years.

Matilda their daughter

died 29th October 1904

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All photographs Copyright©J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Tombstone Tuesday: Interred without a name: The Female Orphan House, Dublin

2011-05-24T01:02:00.030-04:00

The inscription reads:

Sacred

To the Memory

of the

Orphans

who sleep in Jesus

Erected

by private subscriptions

April 1859

The base stone reads:

The Burial Ground

of the

FEMALE ORPHAN HOUSE

North Circular Road

The Female Orphan House of North Circular Road Dublin was founded in in 1790 by Margaret Este and Mrs. Edward Tighe. Margaret Este was a woman of English birth and wife of an office holder with whom she came to Ireland in 1789. Mrs. Este served as the first guardian of the institution which was opened on New Year’s Day, 1 January 1791. Margaret Este died later that same year.

From the prospectus document for the founding of a female orphan house we learn the following:

“In the orphan House, near Dublin, for the support of destitute female children, it is proposed that they shall be received from the age of five to ten years; that they shall be lodged, dieted, clothed, and taught reading, writing and common accounts; carefully instructed in the Christian Religion; and habituated to cleanliness and industry, in proportion to their ages and strength; to spin, knit and, when able to make their own clothes.

They are to take in plain work as the Charity advances; the profits arising from which are to be applied towards the support of the House.

They shall learn every part of household work to qualify them for useful servants. They shall be kept in the House till the age of sixteen, when they are to be apprenticed or put to service.

A gentlewoman of character and experience, a native of England, (Mrs. Este), who offers her disinterested assistance, will conduct this manifestly necessary charity: she claims the bounty of the prosperous and the rich; and being encouraged by several persons of rank, character and goodness, intends, with the assistance of Providence, to devote her vacant time to the superintendence of this Institution.”

It is interesting to note that, although these girls were destined to lives of indentured servitude, they were taught to read and write.

Reference:
Bourke, Angela, Field Day et al. The Field day anthology of Irish writing: Irish women's writing and traditions. New York: New York University Press, 2002.

The Six Winged Cherub: Glasnevin Cemetery

2011-05-22T04:59:00.002-04:00

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All photographs Copyright ©J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

For an explanation of the significance of the six wings see: The Cherub With Six Wings

Wordless Wednesday: Angels

2011-05-18T04:59:00.001-04:00

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All Photographs Copyright©J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: "...true soldiers of Irish liberty"

2011-05-10T05:50:00.000-04:00

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All photographs Copyright© J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Wordless Wednesday: Husbands and Wives

2011-05-04T02:57:00.002-04:00

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All photographs ©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Wordless Wednesday: In The Vault

2011-04-27T06:02:00.000-04:00

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All Photographs ©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Military Monday: The Republic Plot: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

2011-04-25T01:02:00.030-04:00

In respect of this week being the 95th Anniversary of The 1916 Easter Rising here are photographs of the graves of some of those who fought to make Ireland a Republic free from the tyranny of British rule. Some of those interred in and around the Republican Plot in Glasnevin played a role in the 1916 Rising, some in the Irish War of Independence, and some in the Irish Civil War.

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All Photographs ©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Wordless Wednesday: Flora and Fauna in the Necropolis

2011-04-20T01:01:00.000-04:00

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All Photographs ©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: 'Saved by the bell': Gresham Family Vault

2011-04-19T01:01:00.001-04:00

The now broken pedestal which sits atop the Gresham Family Vault once supported a bell with a chain running from the bell into the vault. The Gresham lady for whom the tomb was erected had a morbid fear of being buried alive, and so to accommodate her wishes the bell pedestal was erected with the purpose of allowing her to ring the bell and be rescued should she awaken from the sleep of death. It is further alleged that she was buried in a casket with an easy to open spring lock, and that the tomb was built in this design so that it would be tall enough for her to stand upright while awaiting her rescuers.

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All Photographs ©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Wordless Wednesday, almost: Interred without a name: Graves of unidentified persons lost with The Titanic

2011-04-13T01:03:00.009-04:00

It was unexpected, the feelings of sadness that arose in me upon viewing the graves of some of those lost in the sinking of the Titanic, and now interred at Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ship went down 15 April 1912. As far as I know, none on board were ancestors of mine; however, perhaps I felt the way I did viewing these graves because many of those lost were Irish. Maybe it was the simplicity of the markers, but more likely I was struck by the fact that so many bear no name. These simple granite markers testify only to the date of the event and to a number. The number signifies each one's place in the procession of bodies pulled from the sea.

1500 people went into the sea that night. Many were never recovered. Some were buried at sea; some were returned to their families in Europe. 150 Titanic victims were buried in Halifax from 3 May to 12 June, 1912. Nineteen are in the Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery, ten are in the Baron de Hirsch Jewish Cemetery, and 121 are in the Fairview Lawn Cemetery. Of these, 44 remain unidentified. The following are photographs of some of those markers. For photographs of Cobh Cathedral in Titanic's last port of call visit my blog: 'On a flesh and bone foundation': An Irish History.

Each of these granite markers stands over the grave of someone lost with the Titanic. 44 bear no name.

*Click on photographs to view larger version.
©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Colonel Augustus Stavely Murray: Chief Paymaster for all of Ireland

2011-04-07T01:03:00.017-04:00

In Memoriam

COLONEL AUGUSTUS STAVELY MURRAY

Chief Paymaster for Ireland

died 12th December 1891

aged 57

"I am the resurrection and the life".

St. John XI.25

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All Photographs ©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011. All rights reserved.

'Over Thy Dead Body' is on Cyndi's List!

2011-04-06T01:05:00.001-04:00

A wonderful surprise last evening when I discovered that Cyndi has included this blog in the Locality Specific section of the Cemeteries List of Cyndi's List, under 'O' for 'Over Thy Dead Body'. Amazing!

Thank You to wonderful Cyndi for including us. Stop by and have a look at Cyndi's List and all of the new updates she has added. Cyndi must never sleep. Thank you, thank you Cyndi.

Cheers,

Jennifer

Wordless Wednesday: Fallen Angel

2011-04-06T01:04:00.002-04:00

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©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Wordless Wednesday: Bustard Family Mausoleum, 1882: Mount Jerome Cemetery Dublin

2011-03-30T01:01:00.015-04:00

In context: The Bustard Mausoleum is second from left

Cameo of the family Patriarch

Coat of Arms

*Click on photographs to view larger version.
All photographs ©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011

Tombstone Tuesday: James Haughton: Advocate of Universal Freedom, Peace and Temperence

2011-03-22T01:01:00.007-04:00

Loving remembrance

JAMES HAUGHTON

of 35 Eccles Street

died 20 of February 1873

in his 78 year

A follower of Christ he did his best.

He was a well known advocate of

UNIVERSAL FREEDOM

PEACE and TEMPERENCE

Beneath lie also

The remains of his loving and dearly loved

Youngest daughter LIZZIE

Who died 25th May 1884.

and of his only and beloved son

SAMUEL

who died 16th Dec. 1892

also of his dearly beloved daughter

SARAH CAMBRIDGE HAUGHTON

who died 17th March 1893

MARY

the dearly loved and last surviving daughter

of the above named JAMES HAUGHTON

died ? June 1922 in her 78th year

Philanthropist and devoted family man, James Haughton was born into a Quaker family at Carlow, Ireland, 5 May 1795. Following his education, in 1817 he settled in Dublin as a corn merchant, in partnership with his brother, until the year 1850.

After the early death of his beloved wife his attention was devoted to questions of reform. He was a delegate at the 1838 Anti-Slavery Convention in London, and thereafter was known as an advocate of freedom and peace. Haughton believed that the ideals of war were in complete opposition to the teachings of Christ. For thirty-five years he sent out letters on anti-slavery, temperance, crime, capital punishment, land reform, war, and other questions, which were published by the press of all parties with unusual liberality. Haughton was a friend and supporter of Daniel O’Connell and was in favour of the Repeal of the Union.

Although he took part in nearly all of the reform questions of his day, the chief mission of James Haughton’s life was to promote temperence. For many years before his death he devoted most of his time and energy to the cause of total abstinence, and the fight to secure legislative restrictions on the sale of intoxicating drink.

Among the many local public benefits which he especially worked to carry out were: the establishment of the Dublin Mechanics' Institute, the opening of the Zoological Gardens on Sunday afternoons at a penny charge, the free opening of the Glasnevin Botanic Gardens on Sunday afternoons, and the formation of the People's Garden in Phoenix Park.

Source: A Compendium of Irish Biography, 1878.
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All Photographs ©Copyright J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

The Very Rev.d Thomas Canon O'Donnell, C.C. of the Parish of St. Lawrence O'Toole

2011-03-18T01:01:00.000-04:00

BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

ERECTED

BY THE CONFRATERNITY OF PARISHIONERS

AND OTHER FRIENDS

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

THE VERY REV.d THOMAS CANON O'DONNELL C.C.

OF THE PARISH OF ST. LAWRENCE O'TOOLE

FOR THE SPACE OF 38 YEARS

WHO DIED 22ND OCT.r 1892

A HOLY PRIEST, A TRUE FRIEND, A FAITHFUL SERVANT

OF HIS DIVINE MASTER, A LOVE OF THE

BRETHERN AND ESPECIALLY OF LITTLE CHILDREN

AND THE POOR OF CHRIST

R.I.P.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T01:28:00.019-04:00

In honor of St. Patrick's Day I offer this beautiful, though rather stern looking, St. Patrick from a monument at the Prospect Cemetery at Glasnevin in Dublin, Ireland.

May your blessings be many this day, and always!

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©Copyright J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Thankful Thursday: The privilege to ponder

2011-03-10T01:01:00.002-05:00

One of the things I most love about being a graveyard rabbit is the opportunity it gives me to think about those interred beneath the stones I photograph. To wander through a cemetery and observe the ways in which people have been interred by their families is fascinating. To consider the placement of the grave, the choice of the stone, and to imagine what their lives might have been like, is a privilege for which I am truly thankful.
(Click on photos to view larger version.)

All photographs ©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Wedding Wednesday: A May/December romance?

2011-03-09T01:01:00.010-05:00

The stone reads:

BENEATH THIS TOMB

ARE DEPOSITED

THE MORTAL REMAINS OF

THOMAS WILLSON

OF UPPER BAGGOT

WHO DIED 24TH SEPT 1843

AGED 80 YEARS

BENEATH THIS TOMB

ARE ALSO DEPOSITED

THE MORTAL REMAINS OF

MARYANNE

RELICT OF THE LATE

THOMAS WILLSON

WHO DIED 30TH NOVEMBER 1858

AGED 70 YEARS

Thomas Willson's 'Relict' (i.e. widow), Maryanne, was twenty five years younger than her husband, and while such an age difference may seem slightly unsavoury to some, it was by no means unusual in the period.

*Click on photograph to view larger version.
©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Tombstone Tuesday: Martha Maria Stewart Magee & Reverend Richard Dill

2011-03-08T01:01:00.021-05:00

Martha Maria Stewart was born in Lurgan, County Galway, Ireland around 1755. In 1780 she married Reverend William Magee, a Minister of First Lurgan Presbyterian Church. Rev. Magee died in 1800 leaving her dependant on the Presbyterian Widows' Fund. Her two sons died in early adulthood, one from an accident and the other from rabies contracted while he was serving with the British Army in India.

After inheriting a fortune from her two brothers, both military men, she moved to Dublin. In addition to other charitable bequests totalling £40,000, Mrs. Magee left £20,000 to endow a college for the education of the Presbyterian ministry. After prolonged controversy with the General Assembly, led by Henry Cooke, in 1865 the trustees established Magee College, Londonderry. Despite Mrs. Magee's wish that the college be for the education of the Presbyterian ministry, all denominations were accepted from its very beginning. In 1970 it became an integral part of the New University of Ulster (now the University of Ulster). Martha Maria Stewart Magee died in Dublin on 22 June 1846 and is buried in this vault in Mount Jerome Cemetery.

The face of the mother figure has weathered in a curious fashion so that it is darkly obscured.

At some camera angles the mother's face disappears.

The monument over Martha Maria Magee's grave is particularly interesting. Architecturally it is in the classical style of the ancient world favoured by the Victorians, with Doric columns supporting a canopy and the figures dressed in flowing robes. The face of the mother figure has weathered in a curious fashion so that it is darkly obscured. At some camera angles the mother's face seems to disappear. Also notable is her relationship with the man interred under the stone directly in front of hers.

Mrs. Magee's stone reads:

Erected

To the Memory of

Mrs MARTHA MARIA MAGEE

who died 22nd June 1846

By her Executors Revd. RICHARD DILL

JAMES FLEMING

Esq.

The monument which stands directly in front of the Magee tomb, and rather curiously obscures the base of it, is that of Reverend Richard Dill, named on her tomb as one of Mrs. Magee's Executors. The stones are so close together that you have to lean over Dill's monument in order to read the inscription on the base of the Magee tomb. I am left wondering about his relationship with Mrs. Magee given that the last line of his epitaph reads, "He delivered the poor that cried and the fatherless, and caused the widow's heart to sing for joy."

The inscription on Rev. Dill's tomb reads:

In Memory of

The Revd. RICHARD DILL A.M.

for 24 years

Pastor of the Ormond Quay Presbyterian Church

who died on the 8th December 1858

in the 52nd year of his age

"He delivered the poor that cried and the fatherless

and caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy."

Job. XXIX. 12. 13.

Tombstone Tuesday: A beautiful stone fading away: John Armstrong, 1781-1838

2011-03-01T01:01:00.000-05:00

In part the stone reads:

Erected
In Memory of

John Armstrong

Master of the Brig Senhouse of Dublin

who died at Pembray in S. Wales

May 10 1838 Aged 57 Years

Mystery Monday: Who lies beneath this disappearing monument?

2011-02-28T01:03:00.026-05:00

Back in October I posted photographs of this monument and mistakenly identified it as that over the grave of Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (28 August 1814 – 7 February 1873), the 'father' of the modern ghost story, who was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels.

I was drawn to this particular stone in Mount Jerome after reading a biography of Le Fanu penned by Dr. McCormack in which the author describes this stone as Le Fanu's. The very simple description in the cemetery register appeared to support this claim saying, "A Tomb on Granite Platform and 4 Balls"; however, I was contacted by a Le Fanu scholar who informed me of the error and pointed me in the direction of the correct tomb. Apparently I am not the first person to have made the error, but when I attempted to discern the name of the actual occupant of this tomb I discovered that it is unknown. There is no record attached to it, no discernible name on the stone, and the number on the stone is no longer legible.

So...

Who is entombed under this monument?

Wordless Wednesday: Classic figures of Mourning

2011-02-23T05:36:00.011-05:00

Tombstone Tuesday: Thomas Foran: Union President, Irish Senator

2011-02-15T01:03:00.000-05:00

Thomas Foran was a trade union official and union president who was ran as an independent and was elected to the Free State Seanad Éireann (Senate of the Irish Parliament ) in a by-election on 28 November 1923. The by-election was held in order to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Thomas MacPartlin on 20 October 1923. Although the records of the Oireachtas indicate Foran was re-elected in 1925 and served until the Free State Seanad Éireann was abolished on 29 May 1936, his grave marker indicates he served until 1948. President Eamonn DeValera established a new Seanad Éireann with the Constitution of 1937; Foran would have served in the new Seanad. Thomas Foran died 18 March 1951 and is buried in this grave on the outer rim of O'Connell's Circle at Glasnevin Cemetery.

Reference: Houses of the Oireachtas (National Parliament of Ireland) website

*Click on photograph to view larger version.
Photograph ©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Small Figures of Love and Remembrance

2011-02-14T05:46:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the smallest and most simple figures in the cemetery express a depth of love and loss far greater than that of the largest monuments.

Tombstone Tuesday: Edward Southwell Ruthven: Irish Politician 1772-1836

2011-02-08T01:05:00.002-05:00

Born in 1772 in Downpatrick, County Down, Edward Southwell Ruthven was the eldest of three sons born to Edward Trotter, a clergyman of the Established Church (Church of Ireland). The Trotters' youngest son Ruthven Trotter was a Major in the British army, and in 1807 was killed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Shortly thereafter Edward Southwell assumed Ruthven as his surname, instead of Trotter. Although he entered Wadham College Oxford in October of 1790, he left the university without a degree and instead pursued politics. In November of 1806 Ruthven successfully contested the parliamentary representation of Downpatrick, as a member of the Whig Party, against John Wilson Croker. He made his inaugural speech on 17 January 1807; however, parliament was dissolved the following April, and in the general election in May, Croker ousted Ruthven from Downpatrick.

Ruthven did not enter Parliament again until 1830, when he was re-elected member for Downpatrick as a supporter of Daniel O'Connell. He was re-elected for the same constituency on 9 May 1831; however, in the elections of 1832 Ruthven was returned with O'Connell as member for Dublin. From this time he took an active part in parliamentary debates. His speeches were deemed to be inarticulate in nature and delivered with a "harsh voice". During the session of 1834 he acquired notoriety by moving for adjournment of the house night after night, and members made an organized attempt to prevent his being heard by coughing and yawning. It is alleged that Ruthven aimed to cure their yawning and coughing by exchanging gunfire with a fellow member outside of Parliament.

In January 1835 Ruthven was again returned with O'Connell as a member for Dublin, but a petition for his removal was at once presented. An inquiry into the matter was prolonged until May of 1836, when both he and Daniel O'Connell were unseated, but it was of no consequence as Edward Southwell Ruthven had died 31 March 1836 at his lodgings in North Street, Westminster, England. He is buried in Glasnevin cemetery, Dublin; the foundation-stone of his monument was laid by Daniel O'Connell.

Tombstone Tuesday: Thomas Kirk, Sculptor: 1781-1845

2011-02-01T04:54:00.007-05:00

Cork born, Thomas Kirk was a noted Irish sculptor. He studied at the Dublin Society's School of Art where he won prizes in 1797 and 1800. Kirk was acclaimed for his fine relief work on mantle-pieces and monuments. Some of his work may be seen in the Royal College of Surgeons, the Royal Dublin Society, and the library of Trinity College, Dublin. He was a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, established in 1823.

Thomas Kirk sculpted numerous church memorials throughout Ireland often using his favourite relief, the Good Samaritan, which was thought to be well suited for memorials to doctors and clergymen. Kirk's earliest, and perhaps best known, commission was the statue of Lord Nelson which he created in 1809 for a monument in O’Connell Street Dublin which would be known as Nelson's Pillar. Throughout its life 'The Pillar' was always a controversial work of art. Some, such as William Butler Yeats, saw it as aesthetically unpleasing, others as simply an impediment to O'Connell Street traffic. The matter was brought to an explosive end in 1966 when the statue and the upper part of the Pillar was destroyed by a bomb planted by members of the I.R.A..

On 19 April 1845 Thomas Kirk died in Dublin; he is interred in this tomb on the right hand side of the main roadway into Mount Jerome Cemetery.

Tombstone Tuesday: Interred elsewhere, remembered here

2011-01-25T01:04:00.011-05:00

On 21 January 1921 Thomas Bryan, Francis Flood, Patrick Doyle, and Bernard Ryan were arrested at the site of the abortive ambush at Drumcondra. To read the story of the ambush visit: ...And one was mortally wounded: The abortive ambush at Drumcondra. During a two day trial in February of that year they were convicted of High Treason against the British crown, and on 14 March 1921 were executed at Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, Ireland.

Despite many requests by their families to have their remains returned to their loved ones, the bodies of these men were buried on the prison grounds. After eighty years of lobbying the Irish government to have the bodies of their family members disinterred from Mountjoy and returned to them, in October of 2001 the families were finally granted their request. To view the grave in which these men were re-interred in October 2001 visit: Tombstone Tuesday: Cut down in the prime of life: The young men of the Drumcondra Ambush

During the intervening eighty years, in order to honour the memory of these men, this monument was erected in the Oglaich na hÉireann (Old I.R.A.) plot at Glasnevin Cemetery.

Wordless Wednesday: Celtic Crosses 2

2011-01-19T09:53:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday: Celtic Crosses

2011-01-12T01:03:00.007-05:00

Tombstone Tuesday: Figures of Christ in the Necropolis

2011-01-11T01:04:00.003-05:00

Renderings of Michelangelo's Pieta

2011-01-10T01:02:00.005-05:00

Wednesday's Child: Children should not die before their parents

2011-01-05T01:17:00.004-05:00

Between the years of 1869 and 1901 Hiram and Charlotte Barker buried seven children. It is difficult to imagine how this couple endured, but they did. The youngest child to die, Clemensie, was less than a year old at death; the longest lived, Frederick, was only twenty-three when he died. The children are interred together in this grave in Hamilton Cemetery.

*Click on photograph to view larger version.
Photograph Copyright ©J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Tombstone Tuesday: Monsignor Dr. William Yore

2011-01-04T01:33:00.072-05:00

Monsignor Dr. William Yore was educated at Carlow College. Following his ordination to the priesthood, he was appointed chaplain at Kilmainham Prison. Yore consecrated the ground at Glasnevin cemetery when it was first opened in 1832, and in 1847 was entrusted with the marshalling of the funeral of Daniel O'Connell, the founder of Glasnevin Cemetery.

Monsignor Yore is credited with contributions to the foundation of a number of Catholic Charities in Ireland; however, he is probably best known as co-founder of the Catholic Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, now known as St. Joseph's School for the Deaf. It is claimed that he sold all of the books in his own private library in order to raise the money needed to found the school.

Monsignor Yore died 13 February 1864, in the thirty-third year of his priesthood, and is interred in the prestigious O'Connell's Circle at Glasnevin.

Details on Yore's marker

*Click on photographs to view larger version.
All Photographs ©Copyright J.Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Reference:
O'Duffy, R. J.. Historic Graves in Glasnevin Cemetery, James Duffy and Company, Limited, Dublin, 1915.

Mystery Monday: Monument restored for a mysterious young professor

2011-01-03T01:06:00.040-05:00

Although it may be the case that cemetery committees quite simply want their hard work recognized, I find the practice of placing restoration signage on grave markers to be a curious one. This beautiful cross, which combines both Celtic and Christian symbols, is one of those recently restored through the ongoing programme of restoration at Glasnevin Cemetery.

The life details of the man interred within this grave are somewhat of a mystery. Although there is a page reference for Professor Leamington Arnold in O'Duffy's book Historic Graves in Glasnevin Cemetery, the only information on the page is as follows, "Arnold died on the 21st February, 1896, in his 37th year.".

If we look at the grave marker we learn that he was married to Lizzie, his beloved wife, and based on his age at death, we can surmise that he was born around the year 1859. O'Duffy gives Arnold's title as Professor, but beyond that says nothing. More research will be required to learn more of the young professor.

*Click on Photographs to view larger version.
All Photographs ©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011.

Reference:
O'Duffy, R.J.. Historic Graves in Glasnevin Cemetery, James Duffy and Company Limited, Dublin, 1915.

Wordless Wednesday: Mary, Queen of Heaven

2010-12-29T10:18:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday, almost: 'Angels heard on high'

2010-12-15T01:59:00.039-05:00

*Click on photographs to view larger version.
All photographs ©Copyright J.Geraghty-Gorman 2010.
If you are viewing these images on any site other than http://www.stiffsandstones.blogspot.com or an RSS feed, then be advised the content has been stolen by the website in violation of copyright laws of Canada and of the United States.

Thank You, Thank You for the nomination

2010-12-14T07:05:00.034-05:00

Hi Everyone,

This post is a little out of character, okay a lot, for a cemetery blog; however, I want to acknowledge, and say thank you, to whomever nominated this blog for Family Tree Magazine's 40 Best Genealogy Blogs 2011.

THANK YOU!!! I feel very honoured to be nominated alongside wonderful and inspirational cemetery blogs, such as Cemetery Explorers. Again, THANK YOU! I very much enjoy the process of producing this blog, sharing the photos I've had the honour to shoot, and learning about the history of the individuals who have gone before us.

A lot of wonderful blogs have been nominated, so if you would like to visit them click here, and if you would like to vote, click here. Voting is open until 20 December, and you may vote as often as you wish. Earlier I tried to put the Family Tree badge in this post, but it kept showing up all wobbly, but now thanks to Carol at Reflections From The Fence (a wonderful blog which is also nominated), I now have the badge.

There's been a lot of cemetery talk around our house lately. Kind of odd that we've chosen the holidays to discuss such things. Anyway, initially I had decided I want my ashes placed in a football (soccer ball for our North American friends) and booted into the ocean off the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare Ireland. Trouble is I might float around for too long, and without a headstone I would be left with no great quotation to pass on to future generations. Oh well, guess I'll have to keep thinking about it. Hopefully I have a lot more time left to think about it. Thank you again. :)

Cheers! Jennifer

Tombstone Tuesday: Urns: Classic, shrouded, and heavily cloaked

2010-12-14T01:24:00.004-05:00

In many cemeteries you will find stones with urns atop them. The urn is a classic Greek and Roman symbol of mourning. With the body viewed as a vessel of the soul, the urn holds the cremated remains so that the soul might ascend to Heaven. The ancient Romans used the urn as a repository for the ashes of the dead, and it was always shrouded out of respect. The urn is a very popular symbol of mourning in Victorian Cemeteries, and Mount Jerome is no exception; however, while it is fairly common to see a shrouded urn, some of the urns here are heavily cloaked rather than lightly shrouded.

Wordless Wednesday: Headstones with a Nautical Theme

2010-12-08T06:14:00.000-05:00

Tombstone Tuesday: Sir John Gray, M.D., M.P

2010-12-07T01:49:00.103-05:00

Yesterday I wrote a post about Mrs. Farrington, a woman upon whose grave marker a number of people to whom she was connected are named, none of whom are interred within her grave at Mount Jerome Cemetery. This is the grave of one of those named on Mrs. Farrington's marker, Sir John Gray, M.D., M. P..

In addition to being a medical doctor and member of Parliament, Gray also served as chairman of the Dublin Corporation Waterworks Committee from 1863 until his death. He is credited with playing a key role in the 1868 introduction into Dublin of a reliable pure water supply from the Vartry Works in County Wicklow. Sir John Gray was also the owner of The Freeman's Journal Newspaper.

In 1879 a monument dedicated to the Nationalist MP was erected on Sackville Street (now O'Connell Street). The monument stands close to the original Abbey Street location of the offices of The Freeman’s Journal.

Sir John Gray died at Bath, England, 9 April 1875, aged 59; his remains were returned to Ireland where he was honoured with a public funeral at Glasnevin. He is interred in the prestigious O'Connell's Circle of Prospect Cemetery at Glasnevin. There is a doorway leading to the crypt in which he is interred; above it, at ground level, stands this beautiful marble headstone.

*Click on the photograph to view larger version.
All materials ©Copyright J.Geraghty-Gorman 2010.
Reference:
Webb, Alfred. A Compendium of Irish Biography, M.H. Gill & Son, Sackville Street Dublin, 1878.

Mystery Monday: Mrs. Farrington: her gravestone, their story

2010-12-06T01:54:00.037-05:00

Although the grave marker reads "In loving memory of Mrs. Farrington", we learn little about her because she is described only in terms of her relationships to others, particularly to the men in her life. On the marker we learn of her father, Hugh Lane, her grandsons, the Grays, all of whom are interred elsewhere, and, by virtue of her surname, her husband Mr. Farrington. Hugh Lane and the Grays all have found their places in the history books; however, here on the stone marking her final resting place, Mrs. Farrington is not even afforded the courtesy of her first name. Although it is by no means uncommon to see such a grave, on which a woman is defined in terms of those powerful men to whom she was connected, it gives us pause to wonder, exactly who was Mrs. Farrington?

The stone reads:

In loving memory of Mrs. Farrington

Daughter of Dr. Hugh Lane of Limerick

died at Charleville House Rathmines

Nov. the 1st 1862

"Her end was peace"

And of her grandsons

John Wilson Gray A.B. T.C.D Barrister at Law

eldest son of Sir John Gray M. P.

Died November 1872

Interred in Abury Park Cemetery London

And of George Walter Gray who died Aug. 1879

at Vartry Lodge Balleybrack

And of Dr. William Darcan Gray L.R.C.S

Who died January 1886 at Sydney N.S.

Interred at Poorwood Cemetery Sydney

And of

Lady Gray

Who died 27th April 1887

At Charleville House Rathmines

Wordless Wednesday, almost: The Monument Shop: Mount Jerome

2010-12-01T01:01:00.004-05:00

We may not like to think about it, but if you are going to be buried in a cemetery, in a marked grave, at some point you have to visit the tombstone store. Here are some shots of the quirky one at Mount Jerome Cemetery in Harold's Cross, Dublin.

Tombstone Tuesday: Clinch, Coleman, Walsh family grave: Swords, County Dublin

2010-11-30T01:40:00.003-05:00

Erected by

Mrs. Jane Walsh

of Swords

In Memory of her beloved mother

Catherine Clinch

who died June 30th 1948

aged 73 years

Also her Brother James Clinch

died Nov. 6th 1853

aged 28 yrs.

And her father Fredrick Clinch

died Septr. 15th 1866 aged 90 years.

The above named Mrs. Jane Walsh

died July 6th 1876 aged 80 years.

Also Joseph Christopher Coleman

who died 22nd Feb 1954 aged 64 years

and his wife Catherine Coleman

died 1st Jan 1966 aged 77 yrs.

Their son Joseph Coleman

died 7th April 1994 aged 67 yrs.

Matrilineal Monday: From my matrilineal tree: Kettle, Fitzpatrick, and Ward graves: Swords, County Dublin, Ireland

2010-11-29T01:45:00.049-05:00

Sacred
To the memory of
Thomas Kettle of Drynam.
Who died 22nd September 1871
aged 72 years.
And his beloved wife Alice who died
24th September 1855 aged 55 years.
Also their beloved daughter
Mrs. Mary Fitzpatrick
who died 23rd April 1871 aged 39 years.
R. I. P.

Andrew J. Kettle 1833-1916

I. H. S.
In Memoriam
Charles Stewart Kettle
Newtown, St. Margaret's County Dublin
died 29 June 1952.
Also his beloved wife
Beda
died 11 June 1956
And his brother
Dr. Laurence J. Kettle
died 27th August 1960.
And his sister
Catherine Kettle
died 13 September 1967.

In loving memory of
my dear sister Teresa Fitzpatrick
died 25 December 1929 Swords.
Also her sister Alice Ward
died 27 May 1952 aged 91 years.

Wordless Wednesday: Imploring Angel

2010-11-24T02:16:00.004-05:00

Tombstone Tuesday: Order of Discalced Carmelites: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland

2010-11-23T02:36:00.026-05:00

Discalced Carmelite Friars are men who follow a consecrated way of life inspired by the Rule of Saint Albert, as it was interpreted by Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint John of the Cross. The word 'discalced' comes from the Latin 'discalceatus' which literally translates to shoeless. In this case it is used to denote membership in a community governed by strict practice and renunciation of worldly comforts. A distinctive feature of the Discalced Carmelite way of life is the focus on meditative prayer. In addition to daily Mass and Divine Office, the friars spend two hours in personal prayer each day. They live in very small communities, usually comprised of only four to six people.

The mandate of the Carmelite Friars is to serve the larger community principally by helping people with their practice of prayer, whether they pray regularly or have forgotten how to pray. In the words of the Friars: "We try to give our celebration of sacraments or the way we run our parishes a prayerful quality that is distinctive. We invite people to join us in our prayer. We pray with and for people. We give individual accompaniment and retreats and courses on prayer."

William Carleton: a novelist who intimately knew the lives of his characters

2010-11-18T02:56:00.004-05:00

It could be said that Irish novelist William Carleton wrote not from imagination, but from experience. Born into humble surroundings on 4 March 1794 in the town of Prillisk, Clogher, County Tyrone, it is said that his skill in recounting peasant life was due to his experience of it. His father was a tenant farmer, an unsuccessful one, and in order to survive he had to move his family from farm to farm. As a Catholic child in British ruled Ireland, Carleton was forbidden to attend school, and so he received his primary education in the hedge school system. As a teenager he did receive formal education at the Classical Schools at Donagh and Glaslough in north County Monaghan.

Although he wrote several works, the best known of these is Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry. The book is described as "a tableau of the life of the country people of the north of Ireland before the famines of the 1840s altered their pattern of existence forever." Following the publication of this book he published other novels including Fardorougha the Miser (1839), Valentine McClutchy (1845), The Black Prophet (1847), The Emigrants of Ahadarra (1848), The Tithe Proctor (1849), and The Squanders of Castle Squander (1852). In The Squanders of Castle Squander Carleton touches on many of the issues affecting the Ireland he knew, such as the influence of the Church, landlordism, poverty, famine, and emigration.

He died at Sandford, County Dublin 30 January 1869, and is interred in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Harold's Cross, Dublin.

His wife must have had a presentiment in inscribing on his stone that he was "one whose memory needs neither graven stone nor sculptured marble to preserve it from oblivion". In fact, every summer since 1992 County Tyrone has played host to the William Carleton Summer School, one of Ireland’s most significant literary festivals. Their mandate is to celebrate the life and writings of the novelist William Carleton, 1794-1869. The School is held from the first Monday in August until the Friday of the same week in the district which Carleton knew best, the Clogher Valley.

*Click on Photograph to view larger version.
©Copyright J.Geraghty-Gorman 2010.

Wordless Wednesday, almost: Robert Whitby Crips, a mother's loss

2010-11-17T06:09:00.001-05:00

The inscription reads:

This tomb is erected by his mother

In remembrance of a beloved and deeply lamented son
Robert Whitby Crips
An affectionate but mournful tribute
To the worth and excellence of him whose memory
Lives in her heart.
"Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God"
The memory of the just is blessed

Cusack Family Vault: Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland

2010-11-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

Interred within this impressive vault of the classical style are the following members of the Cusack Family

JAMES WILLIAM CUSACK M.D.: born 26 May 1788, died 25 September 1861. A highly respected doctor and contemporary of William Wilde (father of Oscar).

The small black tablet on the tomb face reads: Here rest in God | JAMES WILLIAM CUSACK
died 25 Sept 1861 aged 73 | FRANCES, his wife died 18 Nov. 1880 aged 88 |
THOMAS BERNARD CUSACK died 14 Feb. 1864 aged 32 | HENRY THOMAS CUSACK died 6
Jan. 1865 aged 44 | SOPHIA ANNE his wife died 10 Feb. 1877 aged 50 | ATHANASIUS
FRANCIS their son died 5 Jan. 1887 aged 31 | JAMES WILLIAM CUSACK died 5 Oct
1868 aged 44 | Sir RALPH SMITH CUSACK Kntd died 3 Mar 1910 aged 88 | JAMES
WILLIAM his son died 28 Oct. 1886 aged 34 | “Thou will keep them in perfect
peace”.

The white tablet on the base reads: KATHLEEN PATRICIA JOBSON died 16th
Oct. 1919 aged 42 | “ He giveth his beloved sleep”. | BESSIE WATSON CUSACK died
26th Aug. 1922 aged 70 | “Return to me, for I have redeemed thee”. | MARY ALICE
CUSACK died 24th March 1925, aged 72. | “He bringeth them unto the haven where
they would be: | Then are they glad, because they are at rest”.

The bottom tablet on the face of the tomb reads: DOROTHY ALISON CUSACK | 25th June 1898 – 25th
March 1993 | H. V. CUSACK C.M.G., C.B.E. | 26th June 1895 – 20th March 1996 |
R. R. B. CUSACK JOBSON | 3rd August 1916 – 2nd November 1999 | E. P. C. CUSACK
JOBSON | 18th September 1917 – 29th July 2004

The Huguenot Communal Plot: 1713-1830: Mount Jerome Cemetery

2010-11-15T03:22:00.152-05:00

This large communal plot is the result of the 1966 exhumation of graves from the Huguenot Cemetery at Peter Street, Dublin. In 1966 the land on which the cemetery was located was under the ownership of the Trustees of the French Huguenot Fund, and they wished to sell it. A statute was created by the Irish government called THE HUGUENOT CEMETERY DUBLIN (PETER STREET) ACT 1966, and passage of it allowed for the disinterment of the remains of approximately 300 persons, the demolition of the mortuary chapel, and the sale of the property to W. & R. Jacob & Co. Ltd. (the biscuit and cracker company), with whom a deal had already been struck. You can view the details of the statute at the Irish government website Acts of the Oireachtas.

The remains of the Huguenots, including many children, were reinterred in Mount Jerome Cemetery in what is politely referred to as a "communal grave". The long grey headstone on which the names of the reinterred are inscribed is made of limestone and measures nine metres in length by two metres in height.

The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church in France. Free to practice their faith due to the 1598 Edict of Nantes, they fled France in record numbers in the 17th century when in 1685 King Louis XIV passed the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes and imposed Catholicism as the French state's only acceptable religion. It is estimated that approximately 10,000 of the 200,000 Huguenots who fled France settled in Ireland.

Walk this way....

2010-11-12T03:24:00.015-05:00

Remembrance Day: Lest We Forget

2010-11-11T10:43:00.000-05:00

Cenotaph at Guelph Ontario, birthplace of John McCrae, author of "In Flanders' Fields"

Close up of McCrae's poem which is on the left front of the Cenotaph

Wordless Wednesday: In case there's any doubt, I went that way...

2010-11-10T03:09:00.020-05:00

Tombstone Tuesday: John Philpot Curran: "Evil prospers when good men do nothing."

2010-11-09T03:16:00.086-05:00

This impressive sarcophagus in 'Curran Square' is the burial site of John Philpot Curran, a noted Irish parliamentarian, barrister, and solicitor. Despite a marked speech impediment, which sometimes undermined his delivery in court, Curran was known for his sharp wit. According to his contemporaries: "His speeches are one fiery torrent of invective, pathos, national feeling and wit. He was a most brilliant wit and of wonderful quickness in repartee". Over time many of Curran's sayings found their way into Bartlett's Quotations including the saying, "Evil prospers when good men do nothing". Curran was known for challenging people both in and outside the court, and is said to have participated in at least five duels. He was a strong advocate of Catholic Emancipation and a severe critic of patronage and corruption. Appointed as King's Counsel, the highest rank a lawyer could achieve in the period, he defended some very famous people in court, including United Irishmen Hamilton Rowan and Wolfe Tone.

The Curran family name is also famous because of the relationship between Curran's youngest daughter Sarah (1782-1808) and United Irishmen commander Robert Emmett (1778-1803). Unbeknownst to Curran, Sarah was secretly engaged to Robert. The relationship was uncovered when her letters to Emmett were discovered after he was imprisoned. Although he had defended other members of the United Irishmen, Curran refused to defend Emmett, who was ultimately sentenced to death on the gallows. Curran betrayed his own daughter by giving her correspondence with Emmett to the authorities. Ultimately he disowned Sarah, forcing her to flee to friends in London. The romantic tragedy of the doomed relationship of Sarah and Robert is played out in poetry and song. Upon her death Sarah was interred in a family plot in Newmarket, County Cork.

Curran was born in Newmarket County Cork Ireland on 24 July 1750. He died in Brompton, a suburb of London England, 14 October 1817. When he died in London he was initially buried in Paddington; however, seventeen years later in 1834 he was disinterred and his remains were transferred to Dublin for reinterment in Glasnevin. The Prospect Cemetery at Glasnevin had only been opened since 1832, two years prior to his reinterment.

Although John Philpot Curran shared a family of eight children with his wife, ultimately she deserted him and he died alone in England.

Curran's tomb dominates those around him.

Obit 1817 means year of death 1817; 'AET 67' from the Latin 'Aetatis' translates to 'age interred 67.'

Charles Stewart Parnell: 1846-1891: "the uncrowned king of Ireland"

2010-11-08T03:03:00.047-05:00

On a large green space stands this massive stone marking the grave of Charles Stewart Parnell. Popularly known as "the uncrowned king of Ireland", Parnell was an Irish Anglican landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in 19th century Ireland.

Parnell was a contemporary of Andrew J. Kettle who famously became Parnell's "right hand man" and who claims credit for Parnell's election as leader of the Land League in 1879. In his memoirs Kettle says of Parnell, "When I came near the town I heard people shouting for Parnell, and when I came into the town I could hear nothing but Parnell, and when I reached the meeting place the people were wild about Parnell...I thought the best thing I could do was to say nothing about Duffy, so I proposed Parnell myself".

Parnell was a beloved figure, still is in many quarters, because of the work he did for the Irish people. When he died at the age of 45 it is estimated that over 200,000 people attended his funeral.

Side view of the massive stone

(Part of the ) Monument to Parnell which stands at the top of O'Connell Street in Dublin

Wordless Wednesday: The life of Christ depicted on a Celtic Cross

2010-11-03T03:25:00.015-04:00

The Ascension

Triptych of the Garden of Gethsemane, The Crucifixion, and Christ's body returned to his mother

The Last Supper

The Betrayal by Judas

John the Baptist anoints Christ

The Nativity

The Visitation to Mary

Tombstone Tuesday: Honouring in a non-specific way

2010-11-02T03:13:00.010-04:00

This stone in Glasnevin Cemetery is a very interesting one because it stands as a memorial to those persons who died in military service between 1939 and 1945. The historians among us will note that those dates conventionally denote the beginning and end of World War II. Why, you might ask, does this memorial not simply carry the identifying title World War II across the top of it? The answer to that is simple, yet complex.

During World War II, despite the fact that almost 100,000 Irishmen fought as volunteers in the British forces, Ireland was officially classified as a neutral country. In fact, in Ireland, World War II was referred to as "The Emergency". Over the years there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the participation of Irish persons in the second world war, including questions about the exact numbers of participants, and about the lack of recognition of the service and sacrifice made by those who fought. This memorial stands as a marker of that controversy because, while it recognizes those who died fighting, it does so without specifically stating the name of the war in which they lost their lives.

Interestingly, just around the corner from this memorial stands a very large World War I memorial dedicated to "Officers and men who served and died during The Great War".

*Click on photo to view larger version.
©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman