Reliving our birth on trail of our dead

AS you walk through the rows of monuments in Glasnevin cemetery the story of Ireland’s political, cultural and sporting past is everywhere.

From the recent — the crematorium where pop star Stephen Gately (1976-2009) made his final journey — to those who began the country’s march to modern statehood, many of whose graves are clustered around the imposing round tower under which Daniel O’Connell and his family lie physically preserved in lead-lined coffins.

Those buried in the cemetery come from a variety of religious and political backgrounds, often mortal enemies in life such as socialist IRA leader Frank Ryan and blueshirt founder Eoin O’Duffy (1892-1944) lie only feet away, while in a large plot both those who died on the Republican and British sides during the 1916 Rising lie together.