Donnybrook Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Donnybrook Cemetery is located close to the river Dodder
in Donnybrook
, Dublin, Ireland
. The cemetery was the location of an old Celtic church founded by Saint Broc and later a church dedicated to St. Mary. The site has been in use between 800 to 1880 with the exception of some burial rights.
sometime between 1181 and 1212. The church was rebuilt by Archbishop William King in 1720 and by 1827, due to the size of the congregation, a replacement church was built on the corner of Anglesa Road and Simmonscourt Road and dedicated to St. Mary in 1830. The old church was demolished and the materials were sold off. There is a small wall in the middle of the cemetery that is thought to be the remains of the old church.
The entrance to the cemetery was originally located to the south where the Religious Sisters of Charity
are located. Today the entrance is beside the Garda station and is through an archway that was erected by the Dublin Stock Exchange in 1893 in memory of Thomas Chamney Searight.
The archway serves as a plaque and reads,
In 1847 much needed improvements were made as the cemetery had become neglected.
In 1879 the discovery of the remains of 600 people was made at a mound on Ailesbury Road
which dated back to a bloody massacre by the Danes in the 9th to 10th century. The bodies were removed and buried in the cemetery.
In 1931 when the street was widened and the entrance was moved back approximately fifteen feet, a mass grave was discovered. The bodies were reburied in the south of the cemetery.
On 1 May 1976 the president of Ireland Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh
opened the cemetery after a clean up.
The cemetery is under to care of Dublin City Council
but the gates are locked, but the key can be obtained from the Garda station next door.
, was buried under of a tomb of black marble in the family chapel with the inscription,
Richard Fitzwilliam, 6th Viscount FitzWilliam of Merrion
died in 25 May 1776 and was interred in the family chapel. The family tomb is missing from the cemetery.
River Dodder
The River Dodder is one of the three main rivers of the Dublin region in Ireland, the others being the Liffey, of which the Dodder is the largest tributary, and the Tolka.-Course and system:...
in Donnybrook
Donnybrook, Dublin
Donnybrook is a district of Dublin, Ireland. It is situated on the southside of the city, in the Dublin 4 postal district, and is home to the Irish state broadcaster RTÉ. It was once part of the Pembroke Township...
, Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The cemetery was the location of an old Celtic church founded by Saint Broc and later a church dedicated to St. Mary. The site has been in use between 800 to 1880 with the exception of some burial rights.
History
The site was once the location of an old Celtic church founded by Saint Broc which lends its name to Donnybrook . Later the church of St. Mary was dedicated by the Archbishop of Dublin, Archbishop John ComynJohn Comyn (archbishop)
John Comyn , born in England, was Archbishop of Dublin, Ireland.-Life:He was chaplain to King Henry II of England and on his "urgent" recommendation was elected Archbishop of Dublin following the death of St...
sometime between 1181 and 1212. The church was rebuilt by Archbishop William King in 1720 and by 1827, due to the size of the congregation, a replacement church was built on the corner of Anglesa Road and Simmonscourt Road and dedicated to St. Mary in 1830. The old church was demolished and the materials were sold off. There is a small wall in the middle of the cemetery that is thought to be the remains of the old church.
The entrance to the cemetery was originally located to the south where the Religious Sisters of Charity
Religious Sisters of Charity
The Religious Sisters of Charity or Irish Sisters of Charity is a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Mary Aikenhead in Ireland in 1815.Its motto is "Caritas Christi urget nos" ....
are located. Today the entrance is beside the Garda station and is through an archway that was erected by the Dublin Stock Exchange in 1893 in memory of Thomas Chamney Searight.
The archway serves as a plaque and reads,
This memorial has been erected by the members of the Dublin Stock Exchange to the late Thomas Chamney Searight for many years the registrar to their society. He died May 27th 1890 and his remains are buried in this churchyard.
In 1847 much needed improvements were made as the cemetery had become neglected.
In 1879 the discovery of the remains of 600 people was made at a mound on Ailesbury Road
Ailesbury Road
Ailesbury Road , Dublin 4, Ireland, is a tree-lined avenue linking Sydney Parade Station on Sydney Parade Avenue and the Church of the Sacred Heart, Donnybrook....
which dated back to a bloody massacre by the Danes in the 9th to 10th century. The bodies were removed and buried in the cemetery.
In 1931 when the street was widened and the entrance was moved back approximately fifteen feet, a mass grave was discovered. The bodies were reburied in the south of the cemetery.
On 1 May 1976 the president of Ireland Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh served as the fifth President of Ireland, from 1974 to 1976. He resigned in 1976 after a clash with the government. He also had a notable legal career, including serving as Chief Justice of Ireland.- Early life :Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, one of four children, was born on 12 February...
opened the cemetery after a clean up.
The cemetery is under to care of Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council is the local authority for the city of Dublin in Ireland. It has 52 members and is the largest local authority in Ireland. Until 2001, it was known as Dublin Corporation.-Legal status:...
but the gates are locked, but the key can be obtained from the Garda station next door.
Fitzwilliam family
The Fitzwilliam family had their own chapel built onto the St. Marys church in the early 16th century. Sir Richard Fitzwilliam was interred in cemetery in 1595 and Nicholas Fitzwilliam in 1635. The 2nd Viscount Fitzwilliam and 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, Oliver FitzWilliamOliver FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell
Oliver FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell was an Irish nobleman.His father was Thomas FitzWilliam, 1st Viscount FitzWilliam, who was born in 1581 and died 1665....
, was buried under of a tomb of black marble in the family chapel with the inscription,
Here lyeth the Body of the Right Honourable And most Noble LORD OLIVER, Earl of Tyrconell, lord Viscount FITZ_WILLIAMS, or Meryonge, Baron of Thorn-Castle, who died at his House in Meryong April 11th 1667, and was Buried the 12th day of the same month.
Richard Fitzwilliam, 6th Viscount FitzWilliam of Merrion
Viscount FitzWilliam
Viscount FitzWilliam, of Merrion in the County of Dublin, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1629 for Thomas FitzWilliam, along with the subsidiary title Baron FitzWilliam, of Thorncastle in the County of Dublin, also in the Peerage of Ireland. He was succeeded by his son, the...
died in 25 May 1776 and was interred in the family chapel. The family tomb is missing from the cemetery.
Religious figures
There are a few notable religious figures buried here such as,- Archbishop William King (1650-1729), archbishop of Dublin.
- Bishop Robert Clayton (died 1758), Bishop of ClogherBishop of ClogherThe Bishop of Clogher is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clogher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Following the Reformation, there are now parallel apostolic successions: one of the Church of Ireland and the other of the Roman Catholic Church.-History:Clogher is one...
. - Rev. Richard Graves (1763–1829) was a theological scholar and the author of the classic in its time, Graves on the Pentateuch.
- Rev. George Wogan (died 1826) was a curate of the Donnybrook parish and was murdered in his house in Spafield Place near Ballsbridge. Later on the evening of his murder, two bandits were apprehended for a highway robbery on the Blackrock Road and confessed to the murder and were hanged.
- Rev. Arthur Gore Ryder (died 1889) rector of Donnybrook and many years later the last two burials in Donnybrook were his two sisters Elizabeth 1935 and Amy 1936.
Other notable burials
- Sir Edward Lovett Pearce (1699-1733)Edward Lovett PearceSir Edward Lovett Pearce was an Irish architect, and the chief exponent of palladianism in Ireland. He is thought to have initially studied as an architect under his father's first cousin, Sir John Vanbrugh. He is best known for the Irish Houses of Parliament in Dublin, and his work on Castletown...
was an Irish architect. - Bartholomew Mosse (1712–1759)Bartholomew MosseBartholomew Mosse was an Irish surgeon and impresario responsible for founding the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin.-Early life:...
was an Irish surgeon and impresario responsible for founding the Rotunda HospitalRotunda HospitalThe Rotunda Hospital is one of the three main maternity hospitals in the city of Dublin, the others being the The Coombe and The National Maternity Hospital...
in Dublin. - William Ashford (1746–1824)William AshfordWilliam Ashford was an English landscape painter who worked exclusively in Ireland.Ashford was born in Birmingham, England in 1746 and arrived in Dublin, Ireland in 1764 at the age of eighteen. Within three years of his arrival, Ashford was exhibiting with the Society of Artists on William Street...
was a British painter who worked exclusively in Ireland. - Dr. Richard Robert Madden (1798-1886)Richard Robert MaddenRichard Robert Madden was an Irish doctor, writer, abolitionist and historian of the United Irishmen....
was an Irish doctor, writer, abolitionist and historian of the United Irishmen. He is buried here with his father and other members of his family.