Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin is to be given a major refurbishment in time for the centenary of the 1916 Rising, it has been announced.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said the 10-year development plan, in conjunction with the Office of Public Works, would make the cemetery "one of the nation's greatest visitor attractions" on a par with the likes of Arlington National Cemetery in Washington in the United States and Père Lachaise in Paris.
Funding of €2.5million a year will be provided from the National Development Plan for the duration of the project.
The cemetery is the burial place of such historic figures as Daniel O'Connell, Michael Collins, Charles Stewart Parnell, Eamon de Valera, Countess Markiewicz, Maud Gonne McBride and Brendan Behan.
The works will involve the restoration of the 120-acre cemetery's protected structures, including the O'Connell Tower and the mortuary chapel, as well as the many graves of significant architectural importance.
Hand-written records dating back to Michael Carey of Dublin's Francis Street, the first person buried there in 1832, will be computerised as part of the project.
The Victorian landscaping will also be restored, and maintenance work will be carried out on the cemetery's infrastructure, including its drainage and eight-and-a-half kilometres of roadways.
A heritage centre will be built on the grounds to help attract visitors and to provide information on those buried at Glasnevin.
The cemetery is also the burial ground for victims of the Great Famine, the cholera outbreaks and the Air India crash.