A €25 million redevelopment of Glasnevin Cemetery to honour the State's "national heroes and personalities" has been announced by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
The 10-year project - which will complement other work being undertaken as part of preparations for the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising - would reflect the fact that Glasnevin Cemetery and its history were at the heart of our modern nation, Mr Ahern said yesterday.
As part of the investment, a heritage and interpretative centre will be built, providing facilities for people to research both their family and national history.
The plan will also involve:
Reintegrating the historic covering stones over the graves of the "Forgotten 10" into a memorial designed by artist Robert Ballagh;
Restoring protected structures in the cemetery, including the O'Connell tower and mortuary chapel, as well as graves of architectural importance;
Returning the Victorian landscaping to its former glory and upgrading infrastructure, including drainage and roadways;
Computerising the historic handwritten records which date back to Michael Carey of Dublin's Francis Street, the first person to be buried there in 1832.
Mr Ahern said the cemetery and its history charted our progress "through times of political struggle to the freedom, democracy and opportunity that define our country today.
"It has become in effect our national cemetery. Some might even say it is to Ireland what Washington's renowned Arlington Cemetery is to the US." He added that its proximity to the National Botanic Gardens provided immense scope to enhance both national institutions.
The 120-acre cemetery, which is the burial place of 1.2 million Irish people, including Daniel O'Connell, Éamon De Valera, Michael Collins, Brendan Behan and Luke Kelly, celebrates its 175th anniversary this year.
Under the plan - which will be undertaken by the Dublin Cemeteries Committee in partnership with the Office of Public Works - €2.5 million will be made available every year for the next decade under the National Development Plan. During a visit to announce the development plan yesterday, the Taoiseach laid a wreath at the O'Connell monument.
Committee chairman John Green said Glasnevin was a unique place in many respects.