Cemeteries in Galway

Mrs OBumble

I've been meaning to ask for a while: where are all the cemeteries in Galway city?

The council website lists Rahoon and New Cemetery Bohermore. And there are occasional funerals that go to Forthill. I know where all these are.

But today I heard a reference to someone being buried in "Terryland Cemetery" - where's that?

Also, Mr Just has an idea that there's one "over a hill from Salthill somewhere" - he's certain it's not Rahoon, but can't tell me what/where it is. Anyone have any clues?

And are there any others? I'm interested in cemeteries that are still taking burials, or that were recently enough that living people will still visit them - not ancient burial grounds that aren't in use now.

?Cee?view

There's an old cemetery on Bishop O'Donnell road - coming from town direction; continue past the turn up to Rahoon Cemetery, leaving it on your right; and in over the wall to your right, you'll see the headstones (very easy to miss).

There's another cemetery in Salthill which was (as far as I know) the family cemetery of the O'Hara family of Lenaboy (now St. Ann's on Taylor's Hill). In Lower Salthill, you go through the gates to the right of the Warwick, into Lenaboy Gardens. Then take the first left. Continue right down to the end; there's a small pedestrian access gap; through there and it's immediately on your right on an elevated piece of land - it's very small - a family graveyard, and last time I saw very run down.

I think that the Brother's in Kingston, (which the road was relatively recently named after) have a graveyard as well at Kingston House.

(Just see your last line now - did you just add this?)

Meemars

There is an old cemetery in Castlelawn heights. I don't think it's still in use though. I came across it some years ago, and it looked pretty ancient, I'm sure there couldn't be anyone left in Galway with people to visit.
Having said all that, that was just an impression, I don't know for a fact.

Salthill also has a very small, also old cemetery, at the back of Lenaboy avenue/Lenaboy park. I think it was a children's cemetery, but then again, as I said before, I don't know for a fact, that was the story when I was younger.

Sounds like "over the hill from Salthill" must be Rahoon, surely?

LadyMayBelle

There i one in Menlo, just beyond the castle..it's a lovely little one and not ancient, AFAIK theere are some recent enough graves (that being 10-15 years ago).

There is also one beside the Racecourse in Ballybrit.. doubt it still takes people but I still see people leaving flowers sometimes. And Castlegar: this might help: http://www.castlegar-county-galway.com/list-of-graveyards-in-casltegar-county-galway

?Cee?view

LadyPennyworth wrote: »

There i one in Menlo, just beyond the castle..it's a lovely little one and not ancient, AFAIK theere are some recent enough graves (that being 10-15 years ago).

I've been at burials there, and I'm not ancient (although I do feel it sometimes!)

?Cee?view

Another one just occurs to me.

St. James Church in Bushypark - just before Glenlo Abbey Hotel. Still in use.

LadyMayBelle

Oh and the one in Mervue; I doubt it still takes people but it was done up in the past 10 years and people still use it often for visits

jenno86

I hope your not going gravedigging, thats illegal. It wouldnt be wise to discuss that on here.

Sherifu

jenno86 wrote: »

It would be wise to discuss that on here.

Wise indeed /necro

Fuinseog

JustMary wrote: »

I've been meaning to ask for a while: where are all the cemeteries in Galway city?

The council website lists Rahoon and New Cemetery Bohermore. And there are occasional funerals that go to Forthill. I know where all these are.

But today I heard a reference to someone being buried in "Terryland Cemetery" - where's that?

Also, Mr Just has an idea that there's one "over a hill from Salthill somewhere" - he's certain it's not Rahoon, but can't tell me what/where it is. Anyone have any clues?

And are there any others? I'm interested in cemeteries that are still taking burials, or that were recently enough that living people will still visit them - not ancient burial grounds that aren't in use now.

a strange post. if you are interested in unusual graves Terryland is unspectacular. not very old either. there is a haunted house beside it or at least it as haunted.

Forthill is the most interesting cemetry, but you have to be oLd Galway to be buried tehre.
Rahoon has some interesting graves.

otherwise there is a cillin here and there.

Fuinseog

Meemars wrote: »

There is an old cemetery in Castlelawn heights. I don't think it's still in use though. I came across it some years ago, and it looked pretty ancient, I'm sure there couldn't be anyone left in Galway with people to visit.
Having said all that, that was just an impression, I don't know for a fact.

, surely?

ancient as in a hundred years or a little more than that. people from the area who grew up there before the estates arrived are still buried there.

Fuinseog

churchview wrote: »

Another one just occurs to me.

St. James Church in Bushypark - just before Glenlo Abbey Hotel. Still in use.

it also contain famine graves.


St Nicks has some impressive gravestones.

the Franciscan friary where the tribal elders are buried is hard to visit but interesting. cromwells men ransacked it robbed the corpses and fed them to the dogs of the city or so the story goes.
hardiman is also buried there.

LadyMayBelle

Fuinseog, you seem familiar with terryland cemetary: is it the Castlelawn one just called something different? A far as i can google, the only mention of it is for a funeral of a person yesterday (RIP).

Fuinseog

LadyPennyworth wrote: »

Fuinseog, you seem familiar with terryland cemetary: is it the Castlelawn one just called something different? A far as i can google, the only mention of it is for a funeral of a person yesterday (RIP).

Castlelawn is in Terryland (Tir Oilean). its marked on the OS map of the area. I only ever really called it the cemetry.until the seventies it was all farmland. true, its not used very often. its enclosed by a wall and not very large. what may I ask is your interest in our cemetries?


one of the oldest cemetries is in the claddagh, behind the fire station. when they built the firestation in 1956 they removed a lot of the graves and strange things strated happeneing like ladders suddenly falling and objects moving around by themselves.

?Cee?view

Can't believe I forgot this one.

There's a graveyard behind Una Taffees. Originally there was a monastery or convent (can't remember which) on Castle Street and this was its graveyard.

Obviously very difficult to get to see it now.

Fuinseog

churchview wrote: »

Can't believe I forgot this one.

There's a graveyard behind Una Taffees. Originally there was a monastery or convent (can't remember which) on Castle Street and this was its graveyard.

Obviously very difficult to get to see it now.

how can it be accessed if at all? anyone of note buried there?

?Cee?view

Fuinseog wrote: »

how can it be accessed if at all? anyone of note buried there?

The only way would be through Taffees.

I've no idea who is buried there. As far as I know it was limited to members of the monastery or convent.

I don't even know if anything much can still be seen there.

Mrs OBumble

Fuinseog wrote: »

a strange post. if you are interested in unusual graves Terryland is unspectacular. not very old either. there is a haunted house beside it or at least it as haunted.

It's not nearly as strange as some are imagining

One of the things on GalwayTransport.info's to-do list is a map of Galway's cemeteries and their public transport and carparking arrangements.

This will compliment similar maps of funeral homes and Catholic churches which I did a while back, and non-Catholic churches (which is still WIP). (Ye Irish are big on funerals!)

You might be surprised by how many people google "catholic church knocknacarra map" (or wherever), and end up on the public transport site. It had a visit yesterday from someone who searched for "terryland graveyard", and I was at the the funeral-Mass of the woman who was buried there. All of which prompted me to ask the question.

Many thanks for all the help (too many to press the thank-you button for each one) - I will be exercising some discretion in which ones are listed eg leave out the very small family-only.

Head The Wall

JustMary wrote: »

I've been meaning to ask for a while: where are all the cemeteries in Galway city?

The council website lists Rahoon and New Cemetery Bohermore. And there are occasional funerals that go to Forthill. I know where all these are.

But today I heard a reference to someone being buried in "Terryland Cemetery" - where's that?

Also, Mr Just has an idea that there's one "over a hill from Salthill somewhere" - he's certain it's not Rahoon, but can't tell me what/where it is. Anyone have any clues?

And are there any others? I'm interested in cemeteries that are still taking burials, or that were recently enough that living people will still visit them - not ancient burial grounds that aren't in use now.

There's also a cemetery in Rosshill up by the round tower and old monastery

loser2old4board

There are four that I am familiar with in Castlegar parish
which is almost a suburb of Galway city now.
Ballybrit also know locally as the Lisheen, Castlegar, Carrowbrowne
and Killeen. They are all still in regular use by local families.
I can give you more detailed directions if you want.
There is nothing unusual in any of them.
Stones dating back to maybe the late 1800s.

If your search is for history reasons then
Claregalway has a cemetery with stones dating back hundreds of years.
It's beside the old friary down by the river near the bridge.

Simarillion

The small graveyard off Lenaboy Park belonged to the O'Hara family of Lenaboy Castle on Taylors Hill. The gates into Lenaboy Park were one of the entrances to the house. Very few of the headstones are visible, one notes a 'Blanche Ismay O'Hara' who died as a child.

There was a graveyard in the gardens of the Ardilaun Hotel (previously Glenarde House) they were all exhumed when it was extended the first time round. Not sure who was there (possibly Persse's).

There is a graveyard belonging to the Dominican Sisters in what was the grounds of the school and convent.

Forthill is off limits to burials unless your family plot is located there.

The New Cemetery (or what was new at the time) is pretty fascinating for people including Lady Gregory and William Joyce (Lord Haw Haw) and is split in half, Protestants on the left side and Catholics on the right.

Fuinseog

Simarillion wrote: »

The small graveyard off Lenaboy Park belonged to the O'Hara family of Lenaboy Castle on Taylors Hill. The gates into Lenaboy Park were one of the entrances to the house. Very few of the headstones are visible, one notes a 'Blanche Ismay O'Hara' who died as a child.

There was a graveyard in the gardens of the Ardilaun Hotel (previously Glenarde House) they were all exhumed when it was extended the first time round. Not sure who was there (possibly Persse's).

There is a graveyard belonging to the Dominican Sisters in what was the grounds of the school and convent.

Forthill is off limits to burials unless your family plot is located there.

The New Cemetery (or what was new at the time) is pretty fascinating for people including Lady Gregory and William Joyce (Lord Haw Haw) and is split in half, Protestants on the left side and Catholics on the right.

Sean Phadraig and Walther Macken are also buries there.
there is also a special section for the traveling community.

dilallio

Simarillion wrote: »

The small graveyard off Lenaboy Park belonged to the O'Hara family of Lenaboy Castle on Taylors Hill. The gates into Lenaboy Park were one of the entrances to the house. Very few of the headstones are visible, one notes a 'Blanche Ismay O'Hara' who died as a child.

There was a graveyard in the gardens of the Ardilaun Hotel (previously Glenarde House) they were all exhumed when it was extended the first time round. Not sure who was there (possibly Persse's).

There is a graveyard belonging to the Dominican Sisters in what was the grounds of the school and convent.

Forthill is off limits to burials unless your family plot is located there.

The New Cemetery (or what was new at the time) is pretty fascinating for people including Lady Gregory and William Joyce (Lord Haw Haw) and is split in half, Protestants on the left side and Catholics on the right.

Protestants to the left of me, Catholics to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with Jews :P

Mrs OBumble

Just a bit of follow up: I've now loaded and published this map ... many thanks for all your help.

The one thing that sees odd is the bit gap out towards Oranmore. Mr Just had an idea that there is a cemetery somewhere there, but couldn't tell me where. And no one else has mentioned it. Wondering if anyone knows anything here ...

Simarillion

There is indeed a graveyard in Oranmore. I just thought it was too far out to mention. There's a wee one in the churchyard in the town, but that church is now the library.

Then there is one out at Rinville Park, near the entrance at the top of the road to the sailing club. It's about to be hugely extended to accommodate more people from the city. Beautiful place to have one, the view is phenomenal!

LadyMayBelle

I attended a funeral only a few years ago in the one in Rinville, it;s a lovely spot. Would have mentioned that one but thought you needed city ones only

loser2old4board

Good job on the map! You missed out on the one in Castlegar.
Also if you need directions to the ones in Castlegar area
marked 'To be advised' , just let me know.

Mrs OBumble

Cheers: I left out the Castlegar Grotto one 'cos it didn't sound like it would get too many visitors today - is that the one you meant, or am I confused? ('tis a fine balance between history and current info I'm treading here). Will put it in if you think people will find it useful transport-wise.

And yes, I'd love public-transport directions for getting to any of the "to be advised" ones: I have a feeling that some of the regional buses might stop out in those directions, but don't know exactly where. Though I have a feeling that public transport may just not work for some of 'em.

loser2old4board

No, there is a bigger cemetry in Castlegar a little further out the Tuam Rd on the left passed the turn off for the church.
The graves at the church grotto are for former priests of the parish of Castlegar.

I thought you were just looking for general road directions to the cemetries. Buses might stop if a person asked but certainly one or two of them are well 'off the beaten track', but the cemetries are still (sadly) in regular use.

Do you want road / car directions or is it just public-transport directions?

Mrs OBumble

Thanks, I'll add that one too.

And it's only public transport directions I'm putting in: I figure that people can work out their own road directions from the maps. I've put parking directions in a few of the theme-maps, but apart from that am trying to keep the whole site focussed on public-transport.


Cheers.
Mary

Mrs OBumble

Simarillion wrote: »

There is indeed a graveyard in Oranmore. I just thought it was too far out to mention. There's a wee one in the churchyard in the town, but that church is now the library.

Then there is one out at Rinville Park, near the entrance at the top of the road to the sailing club. It's about to be hugely extended to accommodate more people from the city. Beautiful place to have one, the view is phenomenal!

I've added both the Oranmore ones: http://www.interment.net/ireland/galway.htm says that there were still some quite recent burials in the town one (recent enough to be getting visitors) there.

Would you mind taking a quick peek at the map to see if I've got the places right? satellite maps are good, but occasionally I get confused. It's here

I put the Clarinbridge one in too, since the map went that far. But I was there a few weeks ago, so am sure the location-marker for it is right.