Bully's Acre in Kilmainham, is one of Dublin's oldest burial grounds dating to the time of St. Maigneann in the sixth century. It has survived centuries of change in Ireland and it is not the only such place around the country's capital. In and around the city there is a wealth of graveyards and churchyards waiting to be explored.It was not until the nineteenth century that the development of the large multi-denominational graveyards, such as Glasnevin and Dean's Grange, began outside the city limits. Consequently, many of the older sites left behind within the inner city have been forgotten or often 'paved over'. But there is still much to be found if you know where to look.Vivien Igoe's Dublin Burial Grounds and Graveyards is a guide to 72 of the 200 or so sites that are to be discovered in and around Dublin city, from Killiney to Taney, from Kilbarrack to Howth. Spanning centuries of social, political and religious upheaval and development, this book recalls pivotal events in Irish history - Viking and Norman invasion, the reformation, penal times, Catholic emancipation and the various rebellions - as well as revealing how some of the country's various inhabitants - great and unknown - contributed to the nation or simply lived and died.Rich with illustration, discovery and fascinating detail, Dublin Burial Grounds and Graveyards gives a rare insight into an invaluable but often neglected part of Irish heritage.
