Theobald Wolfe Tone has lain at Bodenstown since 1798, and his grave has been the focus of a republican pilgrimage every June since 1873 – held annually since then bar a handful of years (1906–1910 and 1921). The reason to come is the grave itself: a tomb of Irish limestone, with a bronze relief of Tone and an excerpt from Patrick Pearse’s 1915 graveside eulogy set into the north wall of the ruined church, both installed in 2013. If you can, time it for the commemoration Sunday nearest Tone’s birthday on 20 June, when the march comes out from Sallins station and the place is anything but quiet. Any other week of the year you’ll likely have it to yourself.
That grave is also one of the more fought-over patches of ground in Irish history. In October 1969 the UVF bombed and damaged the tomb. In June 1975 the UVF tried to derail a train carrying Official IRA supporters to the commemoration and murdered a witness, the farm labourer Christopher Phelan. And because Irish republicanism has split and re-split, there has rarely been a single pilgrimage: since 1922 rival groups have marched here on different June Sundays, a pattern that continues today.
The church and the older graves
Tone is the draw, but the graveyard is centuries older than his politics. The ruined church belonged to Great Connell Priory before 1352 and measures about 12m by 7m; only the west gable and the north and south walls still stand. A large 1798 rebellion monument dominates the cemetery, and among the headstones are famine-era crosses and local family names going back generations. Near the church a replica is said to mark the dock from which Tone gave his final address after his court-martial.
One grave sits oddly with the rest: a single Commonwealth war grave, that of Private Walter Duffy of the Leinster Regiment, who died on 7 July 1918 – a quiet reminder that the men of this parish also fought in British uniform.
Visiting
This is a working rural graveyard between Clane and Sallins, about 32km from Dublin, not a managed visitor attraction – there are no facilities, ticket office or signage to speak of, so come knowing it’s a place for a short, reflective stop rather than a half-day. Entry is free and there is free parking at the site, which is dog friendly. By car, leave the N7 near Sallins and follow the local signs; by rail, Sallins station is the historic starting point of the pilgrimage march and the nearest stop.
Make a day of it by pairing Bodenstown with the bigger Kildare names close by: Castletown House near Celbridge, the Irish National Stud, or a walk out on the Bog of Allen to the west.