Jul
19
Have you ever imagine going to a cemetery to have a vacation? Well, that can be happen when you visit Dublin, Ireland. 773 Glasnevin Cemetery is a cemetery which also known as one of Dublin’s tourist attraction site. Glasnevin, the largest cemetery in Ireland, originally called Prospect Cemetery. First opened in 1832 after one of the Irish freedom fighters, Daniel O’Connell announced that there should be a place where the bodies of people who believe they are buried with pride. This place is now known as the last home of the warriors of the Republic of Ireland, with more than one million men and women buried beneath.
One of the interesting places in Glasnevin Cemetery is a soaring tower standing in the middle of the cemetery area. In the first years of opening, there are many grave diggers known as The Resurrectionists come to the cemetery at night and steal the corpses to be sold to several medical schools in Ireland and beyond. Therefore, this tower was build, for guards to monitor and prevent the theft. The presence of the corpse thief was very well known in the late 18th century to early 19th century. The grave keeper is also using guard dogs to follow the traces of blood whether if there were stolen fresh bodies. Corpse theft was also the reason why until now you can see high wall around the cemetery.
Glasnevin Cemetery also has other very interesting sights, which ultimately makes this place a tourist attraction. There are many memorials monument here. It ranges from the classical gravestones, 1860s towering headstone, up to the Italian marble headstone which began to be used in the early 20th century. Another interesting part of Glasnevin Cemetary is Angels Plot, a spot where babies was buried alive as a sign of purification of this cemetery.
Glasnevin is largely known as a place where many Irish hero burried. Some of them are Charles Stewart Parnell, Daniel O’Connell, Michael Collins, former Irish President Éamon de Valera, Arthur Griffith, Maude Gonne, Kevin Barry, Sir Roger Casement, Constance Markiewicz, Brendan Behan, Seán MacBride, Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, Christy Brown and Frank Duff. Not only those who were famous at the past which was buried here. Even one of Boyzone personnel who had recently died, Stephen Gately, was cremated at Glasnevin Crematorium, on October 17, 2009.