Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum

Glasnevin is far more than a graveyard: it is the most complete open-air history lesson in Ireland, and one of the most moving places to spend a morning in Dublin. It was opened in 1832 by Daniel O'Connell, the Liberator who won Catholic Emancipation, as a burial ground where people of all faiths and none could be buried with dignity, at a time when penal-era restrictions still shaped how Catholics were buried. Since then, around a million and a half people have been laid to rest here, from paupers and cholera victims in unmarked plots to almost every major figure of modern Irish history. O'Connell himself lies in a crypt beneath a soaring round tower, the tallest in Ireland, which dominates the skyline of the north side. Nearby are the graves of Michael Collins, which still receives fresh flowers, Charles Stewart Parnell, marked by a great unhewn granite boulder from his native Wicklow, Éamon de Valera, Countess Constance Markievicz, the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, the playwright Brendan Behan and the folk singer Luke Kelly. The high walls and watchtowers around the old cemetery are a reminder of the days when body-snatchers raided graves to sell corpses to anatomy schools. The cemetery grounds are open daily and free to walk, while the visitor centre houses the museum and its Extra-Ordinary Lives exhibition, a café and a shop. The guided Irish history tour, led by guides who are superb storytellers, is the best way to see Glasnevin: it brings the graves to life with the stories of revolution, famine, politics and ordinary Dubliners, and it needs to be booked online in advance.

Planning your visit: the main gates open in the morning and close in the late afternoon every day, and the visitor centre, café and toilets keep slightly shorter hours. Book the history tour ahead online, then arrive early enough to see the exhibitions before it starts. Exhibition tickets can also be bought at the ticket desk, along with audio guides and self-guided maps for exploring on your own. Allow two to three hours for the tour, museum and a wander. The ground is uneven in places and O'Connell's crypt is reached by steps, so wear comfortable shoes. Glasnevin is still an active cemetery, with funerals taking place, so be respectful of mourners.

Getting there: the cemetery is on the Finglas Road about three kilometres north of the city centre. Dublin Bus routes 40 and 140 run from O'Connell Street, or it is a pleasant walk of about forty minutes through Phibsborough. There is a small car park with a modest fee payable on exit.

Making a morning of it: two neighbours make Glasnevin unmissable. The National Botanic Gardens adjoin the cemetery, with free entry, glorious Victorian glasshouses and riverside walks, and you can easily combine them on the same visit. And by the old cemetery gate on Prospect Square stands John Kavanagh's pub, universally known as the Gravediggers, a family-run Victorian bar with no television and no music, famous for one of the best pints of Guinness in Dublin; legend has it that gravediggers once had their pints passed through a hatch in the wall. A tour of Glasnevin followed by a pint in the Gravediggers is one of the most Dublin experiences there is. History enthusiasts can build a full day around 1916 with the GPO Museum in the morning, Glasnevin at midday and Kilmainham Gaol in the afternoon, following the story from the rebellion to the graves of those who led it.