Survey Data
Reg No
50130098
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Social
Original Use
Grave monument
In Use As
Grave monument
Date
1860 - 1865
Coordinates
315001, 236934
Date Recorded
12/06/2018
Date Updated
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Description
Freestanding three-stage neo-Classical granite funerary monument over vault, erected c. 1862 to memory of Timothy and Catherine O'Brien and their daughter and a son. First stage comprises ashlar granite rectangular-plan base with chamfered coping, rock-faced plinth flanked by ashlar corner piers having groined caps and dropped mouldings; second stage is pedestal on moulded plinth, with corniced cap, white marble panel to each elevation inscribed to three sides and blank to north; crowned by Ionic temple with draped urn to interior. Vault entrance to west covered with granite slabs. Located in eastern part of Glasnevin Cemetery.
Appraisal
A substantial neo-Classical funerary monument erected over the family vault of the O'Brien family. The monument memorializes Timothy O'Brien, who was a merchant, Lord Mayor of Dublin and Liberal Member of Parliament for Cashel who died in 1862, as well as his wife Catherine who died in 1836, their daughter Nannie (died 1843) and son John (died 1869). The monument is finely crafted in granite, in the form of an Ionic temple raised over a robust pedestal and contains a draped urn, a popular neo-Classical funerary motif in the nineteenth century, symbolizing mortality and the partition between life and death. The monument is prominent in design and stature, reflecting status and social standing. It is among a number of notable monuments of architectural and artistic merit within the cemetery. Originally known as Prospect Cemetery, the burial ground was opened in 1832 following a successful campaign by Daniel O'Connell to establish a civic, non-denominational cemetery. It holds the graves and memorials of over one million people, including many notable citizens.