Deans Grange Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Deans Grange Cemetery, or more commonly known today as Deansgrange Cemetery, is situated in the suburban area of Deansgrange
in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
part of the former County Dublin
, Ireland. Since it first opened in 1865, over 150,000 people have been buried there. It is, together with Glasnevin
and Mount Jerome
, one of the largest cemeteries in the Dublin area occupying 70 acres (283,280.2 m²).
The initial cemetery consisted of just 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) bought by the Rathdown Union from Rev. John Beatty. The price agreed was £200 which Rev. Beaty set as being equivalent to twenty years rent. A committee was formed to run the new cemetery and on 20 November 1861 Sir George Hobson, chairman of the Guardians of the Rural Districts of the Union, signed the deeds establishing the new cemetery. The new committee set about appointing Matthew Betham as the chairman and Joseph Cope as the office clerk of admin duties and building the new cemetery.
The cemetery was laid out with just 2 sections, North for Catholic and South for Protestant religions as well as separate chapels for both. It also consisted of a Gate Lodge (Registrar's house) and yew trees lining the main walkways. The buildings were constructed by Matthew Gahan, whose name can be seen on the metal doors to the vaults under each chapel.
It was 1865 when the cemetery took its first burial on 28 January 1865 of Anastasia Carey, buried near the Catholic chapel. There were four grave types to be chosen by the families.
Since the opening of the cemetery 2 sections were added, South West and West, and the North section was extended. From the 1930s more land was bought and new sections were created and named after different saints bringing the total number of sections to 16.
In 1984 a sister cemetery was opened south of Shankill
village called Shanganagh Cemetery and occupying 50 acres (202,343 m²). By the late 1980s the cemetery was running out of space and it was decided to stop selling new grave spaces. However, recent proposals around 2008 will see a small number of improvements and spaces made available.
The gate lodge was lived in by the registrar until the late 1990s when it was vacated.
Today Dean's Grange Cemetery is administered by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
Interred in the cemetery are people from notable events in local and Irish history.
Also interred at Deans Grange:
There are many Religious Orders buried here such as the Congregation of Christian Brothers
, Daughters of the Cross
, Holy Ghost Fathers
, Irish Vincentians
, the Little Sisters of the Assumption
and the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
.
Deansgrange
Deansgrange in is a suburban area of South Dublin, centered around a crossroads. The area shares the name Clonkeen . The area further east of Deansgrange is known as "Kill of the Grange" Deansgrange in is a suburban area of South Dublin, centered around a crossroads. The area shares the name...
in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown is a county in Ireland. It is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin was divided in 1994. Located to the south-east of Dublin city, its county seat is the town of Dún Laoghaire. It is one of the four constituent parts of the Dublin Region...
part of the former County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, Ireland. Since it first opened in 1865, over 150,000 people have been buried there. It is, together with Glasnevin
Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery , officially known as Prospect Cemetery, is the largest non-denominational cemetery in Ireland with an estimated 1.5 million burials...
and Mount Jerome
Mount Jerome Cemetery
Mount Jerome Cemetery is situated in Harold's Cross on the south side of Dublin, Ireland. Since its foundation in 1836, it has witnessed over 300,000 burials...
, one of the largest cemeteries in the Dublin area occupying 70 acres (283,280.2 m²).
History
The Burial Act of 1855 resulted in the closure of many of the older churchyards in Dublin and surrounds due to overcrowding. This drove the need to find new lands for cemeteries.The initial cemetery consisted of just 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) bought by the Rathdown Union from Rev. John Beatty. The price agreed was £200 which Rev. Beaty set as being equivalent to twenty years rent. A committee was formed to run the new cemetery and on 20 November 1861 Sir George Hobson, chairman of the Guardians of the Rural Districts of the Union, signed the deeds establishing the new cemetery. The new committee set about appointing Matthew Betham as the chairman and Joseph Cope as the office clerk of admin duties and building the new cemetery.
The cemetery was laid out with just 2 sections, North for Catholic and South for Protestant religions as well as separate chapels for both. It also consisted of a Gate Lodge (Registrar's house) and yew trees lining the main walkways. The buildings were constructed by Matthew Gahan, whose name can be seen on the metal doors to the vaults under each chapel.
It was 1865 when the cemetery took its first burial on 28 January 1865 of Anastasia Carey, buried near the Catholic chapel. There were four grave types to be chosen by the families.
- 1st Class located adjacent to the main pathways and considered the most prominent and most expensive.
- 2nd Class located adjacent to the smaller pathways and expensive.
- 3rd Class surrounded by other plots where payment was required within five years. Failure to pay resulted in the grave reverting to the Burial Board for reuse.
- 4th Class on loan and reverted to the Burial board for reuse after a number of years.
Since the opening of the cemetery 2 sections were added, South West and West, and the North section was extended. From the 1930s more land was bought and new sections were created and named after different saints bringing the total number of sections to 16.
In 1984 a sister cemetery was opened south of Shankill
Shankill, Dublin
Shankill is a suburb in the South-East of Dublin located in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County, Ireland. It has a population of 13,242 .-History:-Name:...
village called Shanganagh Cemetery and occupying 50 acres (202,343 m²). By the late 1980s the cemetery was running out of space and it was decided to stop selling new grave spaces. However, recent proposals around 2008 will see a small number of improvements and spaces made available.
The gate lodge was lived in by the registrar until the late 1990s when it was vacated.
Today Dean's Grange Cemetery is administered by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
Notable Burials
- The 15 local men of the Kingstown Lifeboat DisasterKingstown Lifeboat DisasterThe Kingstown Lifeboat Disaster occurred on Christmas Eve 1895 off Kingstown , Ireland, when the Kingstown Lifeboat was capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the stricken SS Palme. The crew of fifteen were lost...
in 1895 who crewed a rescue boat involved in an attempt to rescue the Palme. - The Angels plot used from 1905 to 1989 to bury children. It is reckoned that 750 children are buried here. Cemetery staff renovated the plot around 2008.
- During the 1916 rising, the cemetery saw the burial of about 50 people connected to the rising. They were either innocent victims, republican volunteers or British soldiers. There is a plot with 6 people buried and the rest are buried by their respective families.
- RMS LeinsterRMS LeinsterRMS Leinster was a vessel operated by the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company, served as the Kingstown -Holyhead mailboat until she was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine UB-123 on 10 October 1918, while bound for Holyhead. She went down just outside Dublin Bay at a point four miles east of...
was torpedoed by a German submarine 12 miles (19.3 km) from Dún LaoghaireDún LaoghaireDún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
in 1918. Eleven known victims are buried in the cemetery.
Also interred at Deans Grange:
- Todd AndrewsTodd AndrewsChristopher Stephen "Todd" Andrews was an Irish political activist and public servant. He participated in the Irish War of Independence and Civil War as a political and military activist in the Irish Republican movement. Todd Andrews never ran for election and was never a government minister...
(1901–1985), government minister - Alan Bell (1858–1920), magistrate and member of the British Secret Service, executed by the IRA during the Irish War of IndependenceIrish War of IndependenceThe Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
. - Richard Irvine BestRichard Irvine BestRichard Irvine Best , often known as R. I. Best, was an Irish scholar who specialised in Celtic Studies.Best was born into a Protestant family in Derry and educated at Foyle College before working for a time in a bank...
(1872–1959), Celtic scholar - Richard Sinclair Brooke (1802–1882), first incumbent of the Mariners' Church, Dún LaoghaireMariners' Church, Dún LaoghaireThe Mariners' Church is a former Church of Ireland church located in Haigh Terrace, near the centre of Dún Laoghaire town, southeast of Dublin city...
and his wife Anna Stopford (1812–1903) - Francis BrowningFrancis BrowningFrancis Henry Browning was an Irish cricketer and President of the Irish Rugby Football Union. He was a right-handed batsman and a wicket-keeper....
(1868–1916), cricketer and President of the Irish Rugby Football UnionIrish Rugby Football UnionThe Irish Rugby Football Union is the body managing rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where Irish rugby union international matches are played... - Anastasia Carey (1824–1865), the first interment in Dean's Grange Cemetery, worked for the nuns of St. Joseph's Orphanage, died of typhus fever
- John A. CostelloJohn A. CostelloJohn Aloysius Costello , a successful barrister, was one of the main legal advisors to the government of the Irish Free State after independence, Attorney General of Ireland from 1926–1932 and Taoiseach from 1948–1951 and 1954–1957....
(1891–1976), TaoiseachTaoiseachThe Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
and Fine Gael politician. - Moya Llewelyn Davies, Irish republican, who lost her family through food poisoning as a child and translated Fiche Bliain ag Fás (Twenty Years a'Growing) by Muiris Ó SúilleabháinMuiris Ó SúilleabháinMuiris Ó Súilleabháin became famous for his memoir of growing up on the Great Blasket Island off the western coast of Ireland, Fiche Bliain ag Fás , published in Irish and English in 1933...
- Constantine Curran (1880–1972), writer
- Rickard DeasyRickard DeasyRickard Deasy PC was an Irish lawyer and judge.Dease was elected as Member of Parliament for County County on 23 April 1855 in a by-election following Edmond Roche's elevation to the peerage. He was appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland in 1859 and then made Attorney-General for Ireland in 1860,...
(1812–1883), lawyer and Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Cork CountyCork County (UK Parliament constituency)Cork County was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1801 to 1885 it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.... - John Boyd DunlopJohn Boyd DunlopJohn Boyd Dunlop was a Scottish inventor. He was one of the founders of the rubber company that bore his name, Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company....
(1840–1921), inventor - Reginald DunneReginald DunneReginald Dunne was the second in command of the London branch of the IRA who was hanged after killing Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson.Dunne attended St Ignatius College in Tottenham, North London...
(died 1922), Irish republican (with Joseph O'SullivanJoseph O'SullivanJoseph O'Sullivan along with Reginald Dunne, was a member of the Irish Republican Army, who shot dead Field Marshal Sir Henry Hughes Wilson on his doorstep at 36 Eaton Place in London on 22 June 1922. He was hanged for the killing on 10 August 1922 at Wandsworth Prison...
, executed for the killing of Sir Henry Wilson) - Frank FahyFrank FahyFrancis Patrick Fahy was an Irish teacher, barrister, and politician. He served for nearly 35 years as a Teachta Dála , first for Sinn Féin and later as a member of Fianna Fáil, before becoming Ceann Comhairle for over 19 years.- Early life :Fahy was born in Kilchreest, County Galway, a son of...
(1880–1953), Teachta DálaTeachta DálaA Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(TD) and Ceann ComhairleCeann ComhairleThe Ceann Comhairle is the chairman of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the Dáil from among their number in the first session after each general election...
(speaker) - Michael Farrell (1899–1962), writer
- Barry FitzgeraldBarry FitzgeraldBarry Fitzgerald was an Irish stage, film and television actor.-Life:He was born William Joseph Shields in Walworth Road, Portobello, Dublin, Ireland. He is the older brother of Irish actor Arthur Shields. He went to Skerry's College, Dublin, before going on to work in the civil service, while...
(1888–1961), actor - Augustine HenryAugustine HenryAugustine Henry was an Irish plantsman and sinologist. He is best known for sending over 15,000 dry specimens and seeds and 500 plant samples to Kew Gardens in the United Kingdom. By 1930, he was a recognised authority and was honoured with society membership in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Finland,...
(1857–1930), botanist - Seán LemassSeán LemassSeán Francis Lemass was one of the most prominent Irish politicians of the 20th century. He served as Taoiseach from 1959 until 1966....
(1899–1971), TaoiseachTaoiseachThe Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
and Fianna Fáil politician - Kathleen LynnKathleen LynnKathleen Florence Lynn was an Irish Sinn Féin politician, activist and medical doctor. She was born to a Dublin Church of Ireland family and educated in England and Germany before graduating as a doctor in 1899 from the Royal University of Ireland.An active suffragette, labour activist and...
(1874–1955), suffragette, member of the Irish Citizen ArmyIrish Citizen ArmyThe Irish Citizen Army , or ICA, was a small group of trained trade union volunteers established in Dublin for the defence of worker’s demonstrations from the police. It was formed by James Larkin and Jack White. Other prominent members included James Connolly, Seán O'Casey, Constance Markievicz,...
and TD for the Dublin County constituencyDublin County (Dáil Éireann constituency)Dublin County was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1921 to 1969... - Donagh MacDonaghDonagh MacDonaghDonagh MacDonagh was an Irish writer, judge, presenter, broadcaster, and playwright.-His private life:He was born in Dublin and was still a young child when his father Thomas MacDonagh, an Irish nationalist and poet, was executed in 1916.Tragedy struck again when his mother died of a heart attack...
(1912–1968), writer and judge - John Count McCormack (1884–1945), world-famous tenor
- F. J. McCormickF. J. McCormickF. J. McCormick was an Irish actor who came to fame as part of Dublin's Abbey Theatre. He was also in four films; most famously Carol Reed's Odd Man Out , in which he played the opportunistic Shell. He died in 1947 of a brain tumor.-External links: at the Internet Movie Database...
(1889–1947), actor - Joseph McGrathJoseph McGrath (politician)Joseph McGrath was an Irish politician and businessman. He was a Sinn Féin and later a Cumann na nGaedheal Teachta Dála for various constituencies in Dublin and County Mayo and developed widespread business interests.-Political career:McGrath was born in Dublin in 1887...
(1887–1966), politician and a founder of the Irish Hospitals' SweepstakeIrish Hospitals' SweepstakeThe Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake was a lottery established in the Irish Free State in 1930 as the Irish Free State Hospitals' Sweepstake to finance hospitals, and is often referred to as the Irish Sweepstake... - Anew McMaster (1894–1962), actor
- Dermot MorganDermot MorganDermot John Morgan was an Irish comedian, actor and former schoolteacher, who achieved international renown for his roles as Father Ted Crilly in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted and a strip club MC in Taffin....
(1952–1998), comedian and actor - Brian O'Nolan (literary name Flann O'Brien) (1911–1966), novelist
- John Gardiner NuttingNutting BaronetsThe Nutting Baronetcy, of St Helens in Booterstown in the County of Dublin, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 12 January 1903 for John Nutting. He was Chairman of the firm E and J Burke Ltd and a Justice of the Peace, Deputy Lieutenant and High Sheriff for County...
(1852–1918), baronet of St Helen's, BooterstownBooterstownBooterstown,, is a coastal townland and civil parish, situated in the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council area of the former County Dublin, about south of the city of Dublin in Ireland.-Location and access:... - Frank O'ConnorFrank O'ConnorFrank O’Connor was an Irish author of over 150 works, best known for his short stories and memoirs.-Early life:...
(1903–1966), writer - Pádraig Ó SiochfhradhaPádraig Ó SiochfhradhaPádraig Ó Siochfhradha and his brother Mícheál Ó Siochfhradha were writers, teachers and Irish language storytellers, from County Kerry, Ireland....
(1883–1964), writer and teacher of the Irish language - Joseph O'SullivanJoseph O'SullivanJoseph O'Sullivan along with Reginald Dunne, was a member of the Irish Republican Army, who shot dead Field Marshal Sir Henry Hughes Wilson on his doorstep at 36 Eaton Place in London on 22 June 1922. He was hanged for the killing on 10 August 1922 at Wandsworth Prison...
(died 1922), Irish republican - John Howard ParnellJohn Howard ParnellJohn Howard Parnell was an older brother of the Irish Nationalist leader Charles Stewart Parnell and after his brother’s death was himself a Parnellite Nationalist Member of Parliament, for South Meath from 1895 to 1900...
(1846–1923), politician and older brother to Charles Stewart ParnellCharles Stewart ParnellCharles Stewart Parnell was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party... - Noel PurcellNoel Purcell (actor)Noel Purcell was an Irish film and television actor.-Career:Purcell began his show business career at the age of 12 in Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. Later, he toured Ireland in a vaudeville act with Jimmy O'Dea....
(1900–1985), actor - John Talbot Power, 3rd Baronet of EderminePower BaronetsThere have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Power, all in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom.The Power Baronetcy, of Kilfane in the County of Tipperary, was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 15 July 1836 for John Power...
(1845–1901), lived in Leopardstown Park and grandson of the founder of Power's Distillery, DublinPowers (whiskey)Powers Gold Label is a brand of Irish whiskey. Originally a pure pot still whiskey, it is now produced from a blend of pot still and grain whiskey. It is the most popular Irish whiskey sold in Ireland, selling over 6 million measures per annum. - History :... - James Vaughan (died 1873), Captain in the Royal Navy
- Ernest WaltonErnest WaltonErnest Thomas Sinton Walton was an Irish physicist and Nobel laureate for his work with John Cockcroft with "atom-smashing" experiments done at Cambridge University in the early 1930s, and so became the first person in history to artificially split the atom, thus ushering the nuclear age...
(1903–1995), physicist and Nobel Laureate - Joseph Edward WoodallJoseph Edward WoodallJoseph Edward Woodall VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
(1896–1962), winner of the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
There are many Religious Orders buried here such as the Congregation of Christian Brothers
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
, Daughters of the Cross
Daughters of the Cross
Daughters of the Cross is a religious congregation of the Catholic Church founded in Liège in 1833. The foundress, Mère Marie Therese , sent her Sisters over to England in 1863. Its formal title is The Congregation of the Daughters of the Cross of Liège.Daughters of the Cross is constituted as a...
, Holy Ghost Fathers
Holy Ghost Fathers
The Congregation of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests, lay brothers, and since Vatican II, lay associates...
, Irish Vincentians
Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
The St Vincent de Paul Society is an international Roman Catholic voluntary organization dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing direct practical assistance to anyone in need. Active in England & Wales since 1844, today it continues to address social and material need in all...
, the Little Sisters of the Assumption
Little Sisters of the Assumption
The Little Sisters of the Assumption is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in France in 1865 by Antoinette Fage and Father Etienne Pernet....
and the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart is a missionary congregation in the Latin Church,one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the Catholic Church led by the Bishop of Rome...
.