Overview
A gate in a garden wall on Dublin’s north side lets you walk straight from Ireland’s national cemetery into its national botanic garden. That is the reason to come to Glasnevin: Glasnevin Cemetery and the National Botanic Gardens share a boundary on Finglas Road, about 3 km from the city centre, and both are free to wander. One holds the graves of most of the people who made modern Ireland; the other holds Richard Turner’s glasshouses. You can do both in an afternoon without paying a cent, unless you want to climb the tower.
A brief history
The name Glasnevin comes from the Irish Glas Naedhe, ‘stream of Naedhe’. Its roots go back to a 5th- or 6th-century monastery founded by Saint Mobhi, but the district’s modern identity was made in the 19th century. In 1795 the Irish Parliament granted land to the Royal Dublin Society for a scientific garden – the origin of the National Botanic Gardens.
In 1832 Daniel O’Connell opened Glasnevin Cemetery on adjoining land. At a time when the Penal Laws restricted Catholic burial rites, a non-denominational graveyard where Catholics could be buried with dignity was a genuinely radical act. The 124-acre site became the resting place of political leaders, writers and ordinary Dubliners in their hundreds of thousands. By the late 1800s Glasnevin had also become a fashionable place to live, which is why the residential streets around it are so leafy today.
What to see and do
Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum
The cemetery is less a graveyard than an open-air archive of Irish history.
- O’Connell Tower – at 180 ft, Ireland’s tallest round tower, standing over O’Connell’s crypt. In 1971 loyalist bombers blew out its internal staircase; the climb you make today is a careful reconstruction, rebuilt from the original 19th-century plans, and the reward at the top is a view over the city, the Tolka valley and out to the Irish Sea.
- Guided tours – the Dublin Cemeteries Trust runs daily tours of about 90 minutes, on themes including Irish History, Women in History, and the popular ‘Dead Interesting’. Guides tell the stories of rebels, suffragettes, poets and ordinary citizens; the graves here include Michael Collins, Parnell, Éamon de Valera, Countess Markievicz, Maud Gonne and Brendan Behan.
- Glasnevin Museum – in the Visitor Centre, with exhibitions tracing the social and political shaping of modern Ireland through objects, photographs and personal stories.
- Genealogy research – digitised burial records go back to 1828, searchable online and at the Genealogy Research desk by appointment, Wednesday to Friday.
- Tower Café and gift shop – open daily, 10am–5pm, for coffee, cakes, scones and sandwiches, with Irish crafts and books next door.
National Botanic Gardens
Through the gate behind the Visitor Centre, on the Prospect Square side of the wall, the Botanic Gardens are the quiet half of the day.
- Victorian glasshouses – Richard Turner’s Curvilinear Range and the Great Palm House hold tropical palms, cycads and orchids; the ironwork alone is worth the walk.
- Themed outdoor gardens – rose, alpine and rock gardens, herbaceous borders and a sensory garden.
- Guided tours – staff-led walks explain the collections; these usually carry a charge, so ask at the entrance.
Around the suburb
Griffith Avenue, a long tree-lined residential road, is worth the detour on foot. Opposite the cemetery gate is The Gravediggers (John Kavanagh), a famously unspoilt pub for a pint of Guinness. Croke Park, home of the GAA, with its stadium tour and museum, is a couple of kilometres off.
Practical information
Opening hours and admission
- Cemetery main gates: 9am–5pm daily
- Visitor Centre and Museum: 10am–5pm daily
- O’Connell Tower climb: 10am–5pm daily (the climb takes up to 30 minutes)
- Botanic Gardens: open daily except Christmas Day; closing times shift with the season, so check the OPW listing before a late visit.
Self-guided access to both the cemetery grounds and the Botanic Gardens is free. If you only pay for one thing, make it the Irish History Tour and Exhibition, which includes the tower climb: €22 adult, €20 concession, €60 family. There is no cheaper tower-only ticket.
Getting there and facilities
- Bus: Dublin Bus routes 4, 9, 40, 83 and 140 stop on Finglas Road opposite the main gate; the 40 and 140 run from O’Connell Street.
- Cycling: bike racks by the Visitor Centre; the Tolka Valley cycle path connects to the site.
- Car: a small car park (about 30 spaces) charges €2. The official page lists this as payable on exit, but on-site signage has quoted an hourly rate, so check the sign as you park; there is overflow parking at the St Paul’s section opposite the main gate. Coach parking is free for pre-booked groups.
- Walking: it is roughly 3 km from the city centre.
- Booking and contact: book online or at the desk; call +353 1 882 6550 for enquiries.
Come on a weekday morning to miss the weekend crowds, and give yourself at least two hours for the grounds and the museum. For the Botanic Gardens, late spring and early summer are the best of it, when the glasshouse collections are at their fullest.