Visiting Glasnevin Cemetery

RhubarbCrumble

Apologies if I'm posting in the wrong forum guys, but have a friend staying from the UK at the moment and she's keen to visit Glasnevin cemetery this weekend.
I've looked online but the site is a bit unclear as to whether or not you can just walk on and wander around on your own? I know there are guided tours but we'd prefer to just do our own thing. Is this possible and if so is there an entrance fee?

L1011

You are allowed wander around for free.

uck51js9zml2yt

The cemetery is free, the museum is not. Btw. It's worth visiting as is doing the inclusive tour.

Dingle_berry

Are they still doing the reenactment of the graveside oration? Is that worth seeing?

amtc

On certain days you can drive in as well. My dad goes on these days to his parents' grave. I think it's a Thursday and Saturday.

Don't forget to drop into the Gravediggers on the way home.

LaLa2004

It's well worth doing the tour.

Edited to add: I just spotted a 25% off code here: @glasnevinmuseum

beauf

There is a cafe there too.

D9Male

I was disappointed in the tour. So much focus on the 1916 Rising and related events. I was hoping to learn more about the history of the graveyard, its occupants and Dublin history.

x43r0

I would echo advice already given. Go for the tour and be sure to pop into gravediggers after for a pint

s3rtvdbwfj81ch

...and don't forget the extension over the road, saint something or other, it has Luke Kelly and Liam Whelan buried in it.

maximoose

25% off code is OConnell242

Cheers OP for reminding me, been meaning to do this for a while - booked

miamee

OP they have a new app for self-guided tours! I haven't used it but reading your post I remembered receiving an email about it recently. Here are the links to download it:

iOS

Android

RhubarbCrumble

Excellent. Thanks everyone. Lots of great info there

uck51js9zml2yt

D9Male wrote: »

I was disappointed in the tour. So much focus on the 1916 Rising and related events. I was hoping to learn more about the history of the graveyard, its occupants and Dublin history.

there are different types of tours

D9Male

OK, thanks. My wife booked it, so that's probably what the craic was.

Interested Observer

The Botanic gardens are pretty nice too and they're right beside the cemetery. Again is free.

gaiscioch

Fantastic, exceptional tour. I did the general one, and we overlapped with the 1916 tour for the reenactment of Mac Piarais's oration at the graveside of Ó Donnabháin Rossa. Powerful stuff! Some great stories, from the one about the - spoiler alert! - lion tamer who was showing off to this girl... to the story surrounding Parnell's burial and on what he was buried (I had never known that, and the contrast with how O'Connell, who never fell out with the RC, was treated was stark)... to how loads of local people were poisoned because the dead, diseased bodies in the ground soaked into the water back in the 19th century... the fact that it wasn't actually robbery to rob a dead body... the poignant stories about the children in unmarked graves....

So, so much there for anybody with the grá for Irish history. I'd strongly recommend looking at One Million Dubliners, the 2014 documentary about Glasnevin Cemetery, before you go. You can get it from your local library for free. It was fascinating to listen to the perspective on life and death from people working there. And what a really, really ineffably sad ending. Totally unexpected ending.

Gavin "shels"

gaiscioch wrote: »

So, so much there for anybody with the grá for Irish history. I'd strongly recommend looking at One Million Dubliners, the 2014 documentary about Glasnevin Cemetery, before you go. You can get it from your local library for free. It was fascinating to listen to the perspective on life and death from people working there. And what a really, really ineffably sad ending. Totally unexpected ending.

One of the best documentaries I've ever watched - excellent.

Have only been in Glasnevin previously for a burial, but the tour is on the list to be done asap.

s3rtvdbwfj81ch

Shane MacThomais was a great man who gave life to that tour, it's an awful pity what happened to him.

A gentleman, passionate about the place.