Glasnevin Cemetery Dublin: Everything You Need to Know Before You Visit
I lived in Dublin for several years and visited Glasnevin Cemetery more times than I can count. It was the kind of place I kept coming back to, sometimes with visiting friends who were curious about Irish history, sometimes alone on a quiet afternoon when the city felt too loud. What strikes you every single time is the sheer weight of stories buried beneath your feet. This is not just a graveyard. It is where modern Ireland was forged, mourned, and remembered.
Whether you are tracing Irish ancestors, following the footsteps of the 1916 Rising, or simply looking for one of Dublin’s most genuinely moving experiences, this guide covers everything you need.
- Glasnevin Cemetery Dublin: Everything You Need to Know Before You Visit
- A Brief History of Glasnevin Cemetery
- Glasnevin Cemetery Ticket Prices
- Glasnevin Cemetery Opening Hours
- How to Get to Glasnevin Cemetery
- What to See at Glasnevin Cemetery
- Finding a Grave at Glasnevin: Genealogy Research
- What to Do Near Glasnevin Cemetery
- Practical Tips for Visiting Glasnevin Cemetery
- Accessibility Guide to Glasnevin
- Glasnevin Cemetery FAQs
A Brief History of Glasnevin Cemetery
Before Glasnevin existed, Irish Catholics had nowhere to bury their dead with dignity. The Penal Laws barred them from having their own cemeteries, leaving families to bury loved ones in Protestant churchyards or the ruins of old monasteries, often without a priest or any Catholic ceremony.
The turning point came in 1823, when a Protestant sexton at St. Kevin’s Churchyard publicly rebuked a Catholic priest for performing funeral rites. The backlash was immediate. Daniel O’Connell, the politician already famous for his Catholic Emancipation campaign, used the incident to push for a dedicated Catholic burial ground.
Glasnevin Cemetery, then known as Prospect Cemetery, was consecrated and opened in February 1832. The very first burial was that of eleven-year-old Michael Carey from Francis Street in Dublin. From nine acres, the site has since grown to cover 124 acres and now holds the remains of more than 1.5 million people.
The high perimeter wall and the seven watchtowers you see today were not decorative. Body snatching was a serious problem in 18th and early 19th century Dublin, with medical schools paying handsomely for fresh corpses. Armed watchmen and bloodhounds patrolled the grounds at night. No bodies were ever reported stolen from Glasnevin, which was considered a remarkable selling point at the time.
Glasnevin Cemetery Ticket Prices
The cemetery grounds are free to enter and wander at any time during opening hours. Paid tickets cover the museum exhibitions, guided tours and the O’Connell Tower climb.
Guided Tours (Tour plus Exhibition) All guided tours are currently priced at €17.00 per person for adults. Options include:
- Irish History Tour and Exhibition, covering the 1916 Rising, War of Independence and Civil War
- Women in History Tour, which focuses on the remarkable women buried here and their role in shaping the Republic
- Dead Interesting Tour, a broader exploration of the extraordinary lives commemorated at Glasnevin
O’Connell Tower Climb and Exhibition The Tower Climb with Exhibition entry costs €11.00 per person. You can also add the Tower Climb to any guided tour for a combination ticket.
Audio-Visual Guide and Exhibition If you prefer to explore at your own pace, the Audio-Visual Guide with Exhibition access costs €13.00. Guides are available in English, Irish, French, Italian, Spanish and German from the visitor centre ticket desk.
Museum Only Museum-only admission (without a tour) is approximately €6.50 for adults and €4.50 concession, though it is worth checking the official Dublin Cemeteries Trust website before you visit as prices are subject to change.
Booking Booking in advance is strongly recommended, especially on weekends and during the summer months. You can book directly at dctrust.ie.
Glasnevin Cemetery Opening Hours
The cemetery is open to visitors throughout the year. Seasonal hours apply:
- April 1 to September 30: open daily 10am to 6pm
- October 1 to March 31: open daily 10am to 5pm
The visitor centre cafe is open daily from 10am to 5pm. The cemetery is closed on New Year’s Day, Christmas Day and St. Stephen’s Day (26 December).
On St. Patrick’s Day, Easter Monday, and the main bank holidays, the extended summer hours of 10am to 6pm usually apply. Always check the official website if you are visiting on a public holiday, as hours can shift.
How to Get to Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery is located on Finglas Road, Dublin 11, approximately 2.5km from the city centre.
By Bus From O’Connell Street, take buses 4, 9, 40, 83 or 140. Services run every 8 to 10 minutes. This is the easiest option from the city centre and takes around 15 to 20 minutes.
Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Glasnevin is a stop on the City Sightseeing Dublin Hop-On Hop-Off blue route, which is a convenient option if you are combining it with other Dublin attractions.
By DART or Train The nearest rail station is Drumcondra, which is roughly a 20-minute walk from the cemetery (about 1.6km).
By Car The cemetery sits on the Finglas Road (N2) and is close to the M1, M50 and Dublin Airport. On-site parking is available.
On Foot If you are staying in the city centre, the walk from O’Connell Street takes around 30 to 35 minutes and passes through some interesting neighbourhood streets. A pedestrian entrance is also available through the original Prospect Square gate, which sits beside the famous John Kavanagh pub (better known as the Gravediggers).
What to See at Glasnevin Cemetery
The Guided Tours
Do not skip the guided tour. I know it can feel like an added expense or a commitment when you might prefer to wander freely, but the guides at Glasnevin are genuinely exceptional. They bring the graves to life in a way that reading headstones never can. On my first proper tour, I stood at Michael Collins’ grave and listened to a guide recount the ambush at Beal na Blath with such detail and feeling that the group went completely silent. It is that kind of place.
The Irish History Tour covers the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence and the Civil War, threading together the stories of the leaders, rebels and ordinary citizens buried here. The Women in History Tour is particularly worth seeking out because it shines a light on figures like Constance Markievicz and Maud Gonne in a way that mainstream Irish history has not always done justice.
The O’Connell Tower
Ireland’s tallest round tower stands 180 feet high and was built in 1854 as a monument to Daniel O’Connell, the man who founded the cemetery. At its base is an ornate family crypt containing O’Connell’s remains. In 1971 the tower was bombed by loyalists, destroying the internal staircase and sealing off the crypt for decades. A lengthy restoration project eventually re-opened it to visitors.
The 198-step climb to the top is worth every step. From the summit you get a panoramic view across Dublin city, out to the Wicklow Mountains and on a clear day as far as the Irish Sea. It is one of the better views in Dublin that most visitors never find.
The Museum and Exhibitions
The museum spans three floors inside the visitor centre. The experience begins with the Necropolis display, which features a rolling screen showing the names of all 1.5 million people buried at Glasnevin. Running through the full list would take approximately ten hours. Interactive headstone displays allow you to tap into the individual stories of those buried here, and you can even listen to reconstructed conversations between historical gravediggers.
The Extra-ordinary Lives exhibition focuses on more than 20 people buried at Glasnevin whose stories are surprising, often overlooked and always compelling. These are not always the famous names. Sometimes they are the people who worked quietly alongside them.
Famous Graves at Glasnevin Cemetery
Constance Markievicz (1868-1927): Revolutionary, suffragette and the first woman elected to the Westminster parliament, though she refused to take her seat. Her story is one of the most remarkable in the Women in History Tour.
Maud Gonne (1866-1953): Actress, activist and republican, she spent much of her life fighting for Irish independence and is perhaps equally famous as the woman W.B. Yeats loved and wrote about obsessively.
The stories of Constance and Maud only scratch the surface, and if Irish women in history have caught your attention, our guide to the historic women of Ireland is worth your time.
The cemetery reads like a roll call of Irish history. Some of the most visited graves include:
Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847): The Liberator, who campaigned for Catholic Emancipation and founded the cemetery itself. His grave is beneath the round tower that bears his name.
Michael Collins (1890-1922): The Cork-born revolutionary leader who negotiated the Anglo-Irish Treaty and was killed in the Civil War ambush at Beal na Blath. Around his grave lie the remains of at least 183 soldiers of the Irish Free State, their names recorded on a surrounding memorial.
Eamon de Valera (1882-1975): Founder of Fianna Fail, three times Taoiseach and twice President of Ireland. De Valera and Collins were on opposing sides of the Civil War, and it remains quietly striking that they now rest in the same ground.
Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891): Founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. A large boulder marks his grave, inscribed simply with his name.
Brendan Behan (1923-1964): Playwright, novelist and poet, imprisoned for IRA activity as a teenager and later one of the most celebrated and turbulent literary figures of 20th-century Ireland.
Luke Kelly (1940-1984): The red-haired voice of The Dubliners and one of the most powerful folk singers Ireland has ever produced.
Christy Brown (1932-1981): Writer and painter who had cerebral palsy and learned to write and paint using only his left foot, later portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis in the film My Left Foot.
Arthur Griffith (1872-1922): Founder of Sinn Fein and a key figure in the creation of the Irish Free State.
Kevin Barry (1900-1920) was an eighteen-year-old medical student and IRA volunteer who was hanged at Mountjoy Prison on 1 November 1920, becoming the first Republican to be executed by the British since the 1916 Rising. A ballad written in his honour, simply called Kevin Barry, became one of the most recognised songs of the revolution and is still sung today.
The Angels Plot
Glasnevin was one of the very few cemeteries in Ireland that permitted stillborn babies to be buried in consecrated ground. The Angels Plot, a dedicated section within the cemetery grounds, represents a compassionate and then deeply unusual stance. It remains a place of quiet pilgrimage for families.
The Bodysnatchers Watchtowers
Seven watchtowers were built into the cemetery walls in the early 19th century to guard against body snatchers who sold corpses to medical schools. The armed watchmen patrolled alongside a pack of bloodhounds. Not a single body was ever reported stolen from Glasnevin, which tells you something about how seriously the Trust took its responsibilities from the very beginning.
Finding a Grave at Glasnevin: Genealogy Research
One of the most practically useful things about Glasnevin is its record-keeping. The Dublin Cemeteries Trust has maintained meticulous burial records since 1828, covering all 1.5 million people interred across its cemeteries.
If you have Irish ancestry and want to find a relative buried here, head to the front desk with the person’s full name and approximate year of death. Staff can usually locate the grave on the system and provide you with a printed map showing exactly where it is. I have watched this done for complete strangers who arrived knowing almost nothing beyond a surname, and more often than not, the staff found what they were looking for.
For deeper genealogy research, the Genealogy Research Service is available by appointment in person from Wednesday to Friday, 10am to 5pm. Broader online search access is available through the Burial Records section of the Dublin Cemeteries Trust website at dctrust.ie. A free preview of results is available. Full record access requires purchasing credits.
What to Do Near Glasnevin Cemetery
The National Botanic Gardens
Immediately adjacent to the cemetery is the National Botanic Gardens, one of Dublin’s genuinely great free attractions. The gardens were established in 1795 and cover 48 acres. The restored Turner Curvilinear Range glasshouses are particularly beautiful, completed as part of a major restoration project ahead of the gardens’ bicentenary in 1995. There is a secret connecting gate through the wall on the Prospect Square side of the cemetery that takes you directly into the gardens. Very few visitors know about it.
John Kavanagh’s Pub (The Gravediggers)
If you exit through the Prospect Square gate, you will find yourself directly beside John Kavanagh’s, one of Dublin’s most historic and beloved pubs. It has been trading since 1833 and takes its nickname from the gravediggers who once drank there between shifts. The pint of Guinness here is excellent, the atmosphere is genuine old Dublin, and it pulls in an interesting mix of locals, historians and tourists who have all just walked out of the cemetery with a lot to think about. I can personally recommend stopping here. There is no better way to end a visit to Glasnevin.
Practical Tips for Visiting Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin is a working cemetery. Burials still take place regularly, so if you see a funeral cortege or a family gathered around a grave, give them space and keep your voice low. It is a basic courtesy that the guides will remind you of, but it is worth knowing before you arrive.
Wear comfortable shoes. The grounds cover 124 acres and the paths between graves can be uneven, especially in older sections. In wet weather, and in Dublin you should always plan for wet weather, the grass sections become soft and muddy.
The free cemetery map available from the visitor centre desk is useful for a self-guided wander but does not give you the context or the stories. If budget allows, take a guided tour even for just part of your visit.
Arrive early on summer weekends. The cemetery attracts over half a million visitors a year and the popular tours do fill up. Book online in advance to avoid disappointment.
The cafe inside the visitor centre is open daily from 10am to 5pm and serves good coffee. After a couple of hours in the grounds, it is a welcome stop.
Accessibility Guide to Glasnevin
Glasnevin is largely well set up for visitors with mobility needs, though there are a few things worth knowing before you arrive so you can plan accordingly.
The visitor centre is fully wheelchair accessible, with lifts between floors, automatic doors and ramps throughout the modern building. The main cemetery paths are paved and smooth enough for wheelchair users to navigate comfortably across most of the grounds. The guided tours can be made wheelchair accessible on request, and the staff are genuinely helpful about adjusting routes where needed.
The one significant exception is Daniel O’Connell’s crypt, which sits beneath the round tower and is accessed via steps. As the crypt is a protected monument, it cannot be structurally altered to provide step-free access. However, the museum’s City of the Dead exhibit includes an audio-visual film showing the interior of the crypt in detail, so visitors who cannot descend the steps can still experience it. The O’Connell Tower climb itself involves 198 steps with no lift alternative, so it is not suitable for those with limited mobility.
In the older sections of the cemetery, some areas have no paved pathway and the ground can be uneven, particularly after rain. These parts are harder to navigate in a wheelchair or with restricted movement, but the majority of the most visited graves, including those of Michael Collins, Parnell and de Valera, are reachable via the main paths.
Visitors with a disability are entitled to one free companion ticket for all paid tours and experiences. To arrange this, contact the visitor centre directly by email at museum@dctrust.ie or by phone on +353 (0)1 882 6550 before your visit. Mobility scooters are available for hire and additional assistance can be arranged in advance through the same contact. Only assistance dogs are permitted in the cemetery grounds.
Glasnevin Cemetery FAQs
Is Glasnevin Cemetery free to visit? Entry to the cemetery grounds is free. You pay for guided tours, the museum exhibitions and the O’Connell Tower climb. Tour tickets start at €17 for adults and tower access with exhibition is €11.
How long should I spend at Glasnevin Cemetery? A guided tour runs approximately 75 minutes. Adding the tower climb and a walk through the museum easily takes the visit to three hours. If you plan to visit the National Botanic Gardens next door, budget a full half day.
Do I need to book tickets in advance? Booking online is strongly recommended, particularly in summer and on weekends. Tours sell out. Walk-up availability is not guaranteed.
Can I visit Glasnevin Cemetery without a tour? Yes. The grounds are open to all during visiting hours and a free map is available at the desk for self-guided exploration. An audio-visual guide with exhibition is available for €13 if you want more context than the map provides.
How do I search for an ancestor buried at Glasnevin? Visit the desk in person with a full name and approximate year of death, or use the online search tool at dctrust.ie. The Genealogy Research Service operates by appointment on Wednesdays to Fridays.
Is Glasnevin Cemetery wheelchair accessible? The museum and visitor centre are fully wheelchair accessible. Parts of the cemetery grounds, particularly older sections, have uneven surfaces that may be challenging.
Can I climb the O’Connell Tower? Yes. The tower reopened after a lengthy restoration following a 1971 bombing. The climb involves 198 steps and the views from the top are outstanding. Tower access with exhibition costs €11.
What age is Glasnevin Cemetery suitable for? All ages. Children engaged by Irish history will find plenty to capture their imagination. The Angels Plot in particular resonates with families. The exhibitions inside the museum have interactive elements that work well for younger visitors.
Where is Glasnevin Cemetery located? Finglas Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 11. Approximately 2.5km from the city centre, reachable by buses 4, 9, 40, 83 or 140 from O’Connell Street.
When did Glasnevin Cemetery open? February 1832. The first burial was that of eleven-year-old Michael Carey from Francis Street in Dublin.
Most tourists visit Glasnevin because of a famous name they have read about in an Irish history book. They leave understanding that the real story of Ireland is not just about the famous names. It is in the 1.5 million ordinary lives recorded in those books and boxes at the front desk, in the mass graves of Famine victims, in the Angels Plot and the unmarked corners where the poor were buried without ceremony.
That is what Glasnevin does that no other Dublin attraction quite manages. It makes history feel personal. I have stood at Michael Collins’ grave with people who were visibly moved without knowing why, who had never thought about the Irish Civil War before that morning. Glasnevin has a way of doing that.
If you are planning a trip to Dublin, put this at the top of your list. Then walk next door to the Botanic Gardens and finish at the Gravediggers for a pint. It is as good a Dublin afternoon as I know.
Address: Glasnevin Cemetery, Finglas Road, Dublin 11, Ireland Official website: dctrust.ie Bookings: dctrust.ie/tours Genealogy records: dctrust.ie/genealogy
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