Eagle-eyed visitors catching a glimpse of graffiti at the peak of Ireland’s tallest round tower might think the year engraved refers to nine years ago, however, the 15 refers to 1915.
Just beneath it, someone carved their initials “E.H.” when they apparently visited the tower in 1862.
“It was a tourist attraction even then,” says Ultan Moran, heritage officer at Glasnevin Cemetery.
O’Connell Tower, named after the cemetery’s founder, has been closed since 2023 to undergo a redesign.
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Now reopened, it has essentially become an exhibition to Daniel O’Connell, but rather than walking around a room, visitors take in information as they ascend to the top.
Audio and visual panels outlining the facts and achievements of O’Connell appear as visitors ascend the 198 steps.
Intermittent landings on which visitors can take respite before ascending once more are a welcome addition.
About halfway up, a panel explains that the large crack to its right is the result of a bombing in 1971.
Alongside a wider history of grave robbing and body snatching within the cemetery, the tower was targeted when a bomb encased in a biscuit tin and placed at the base of the tower “destroyed” the interior, Moran said.
It resulted in its closure for some 47 years before its refurbishment in 2018.
“Almost there,” a sign reassures those who reach the 164th step.
Those who reach the peak can see the vast land in which some 1.5 million people from all walks of life have been laid to rest.
Among them are thousands of famine victims, Éamon de Valera, Countess Markievicz and Michael Collins.
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“He wanted it to be a place for people from all backgrounds, regardless of their religious faith, even people with no religion at all, and in the 1830s, this was an incredibly progressive idea that Daniel O’Connell had,” Moran said.
Beyond the graveyard is a far-reaching view of Dublin from the height of the 55m structure.
Aoife Watters, chief executive of Dublin Cemeteries Trust described O’Connell described the tower completed in 1855 as a “fitting memorial to our founder”.
A crypt at the base of the tower became the O’Connell’s final resting place after he was moved from a nearby plot in 1869.
In a smaller chamber to the crypt’s side, are the coffins of his sons, daughters, grandchildren and a great-grandchild, with space set aside for further descendants.
Admission to the tower will set visitors back €10 and potentially shaky legs, depending on fitness levels.
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