Merrion Cemetery, Bellevue

View of Merrion Cemetery

Merrion Cemetery, Bellevue is a cemetery located off the Merrion Road in County Dublin. It is located adjacent to the hotel Tara Towers, which is between Booterstown and Merrion. The cemetery was in use from 1300 to 1866, and since 1978 it is a public park under the care of Dublin City Council

History

It is not known when the graveyard was consecrated, but there used to be a church here and thought to have been erected in the 14th century by John Cruise of Merrion Castle. There are no remains of the church today. ^[1]

Tombstone to the 120 soldiers who died in the shipwreck of the transport packet called the Price of Wales along the coast in 1807

The most notable burial here is of the 120 soldiers of the transport packet called the Prince of Wales. The ship had set sail from Kingstown on 18 November 1807, but by the next day it had to return due to a very bad snow storm. As the ship tried to return to the harbour, it struck rocks at Seapoint and sank drowning all 120 soldiers on board. That same night the Rochdale also sank where 265 people perished. Most of them are interred in Carrickbrennan Churchyard with a similar memorial. ^{[1] [2]}

There are not many memorials to be seen here and the oldest one is dated 1692. ^[1]

On 1 May 1866 the graveyard closed and in 1978 the graveyard became a public park under the care of Dublin City Council. ^[1]

See also

• The Sinking of the Rochdale and the Prince of Wales

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Igoe, Vivien (2001). "Dublin Burial Grounds & Graveyards", Wolfhound Press, p160, ISBN 0863278728
2. ^ Rev. Blacker, B. (1860 - 1872). "Brief Sketches of the Parishes of Booterstown", p52

Coordinates: 53°18′43″N 6°12′08″W / 53.311926°N 6.202209°W / 53.311926; -6.202209