Derry City Cemetery, known locally as the City Cemetery, is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

based in the Creggan area of

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. By the mid-19th century Derry’s graveyards were becoming overcrowded, and soon would reach capacity. To alleviate the strain the cemetery was opened in 1853, becoming the first municipal cemetery in the city. By 1867 the graveyards at

St Columb's Cathedral St Columb's Cathedral in the walled city of Derry, Northern Ireland, is the cathedral church and episcopal see of the Church of Ireland's Diocese of Derry and Raphoe. It is also the parish church of Templemore. It is dedicated to Saint Columba, ...

, St. Augustine’s Church, and Long Tower Chapel had all stopped accepting ‘new’ burials. Due to this the cemetery became the main burial ground for the city's Protestant and Catholic population. It is the final resting place for over 70,000 people and includes graves to victims of the

cholera pandemics Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

of the late 1800s, as well as graves of those who fought in

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Hunger striker A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

and INLA member

Patsy O'Hara Patsy O'Hara (Irish: Peatsaí Ó hEadhra; 11 July 1957 – 21 May 1981) was an Irish republican hunger striker and member of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). Biography O'Hara was born in Bishop Street, Derry, Northern Ireland. He ...

is also buried in the cemetery. In recent years the cemetery suffered from vandalism and antisocial behaviour, with holy ornaments and flower pots being damaged or destroyed. In an attempt to deal with the problems the council installed CCTV. In May 2016 the City Cemetery Records Project was set up and 40 volunteers transcribes and verified over 45,000 entries from the Cemetery's Burial Registers from the formation of the cemetery up until 1961. In 2018 a local historian set up the 'Friends of Derry City Cemetery' to organise tours in an attempt to deal with the problems. The cemetery is also rapidly approaching capacity, despite the opening of a new section on the lower part of the cemetery. As of March 2020 the council stated that there are approximately 650 plots that remain available, and that the cemetery is expected to reach capacity by 2025, although it will remain open to secondary burials until 2043. In March 2022 work commenced on an expansion to the city cemetery, with land used near Southway in Derry to increase the cemetery capacity with an extra 950 plots being available. The work is expected to take nine months to complete.

Notable burials

Cecil Frances Alexander Cecil Frances Alexander (April 1818 – 12 October 1895) was an Anglo-Irish hymnwriter and poet. Amongst other works, she wrote "All Things Bright and Beautiful", "There is a green hill far away" and the Christmas carol "Once in Royal David's Cit ...

(1818–1895), poet *

John Hume John Hume (18 January 19373 August 2020) was an Irish nationalist politician from Northern Ireland, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the recent political history of Ireland, as one of the architects of the Northern Irela ...

(1937–2020),

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...

laureate and nationalist politician *

Eddie McAteer Eddie McAteer (25 June 1914 – 25 March 1986) was an Irish nationalist politician in Northern Ireland. Born in Coatbridge, Scotland, McAteer's family moved to Derry in Northern Ireland while he was young. In 1930 he joined the Inland Revenu ...

(1914–1986), leader of the Nationalist Party *

James McCarron Alderman James McCarron (1851 – 10 October 1918) was an Irish trade unionist. McCarron came to prominence as a leading figure in the Amalgamated Society of Tailors and Tailoresses, based in Derry. In the early 1890s, he was the secretary of th ...

(1851–1918), trade unionist and

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

politician *

Martin McGuinness James Martin Pacelli McGuinness ( ga, Séamus Máirtín Pacelli Mag Aonghusa; 23 May 1950 – 21 March 2017) was an Irish republican politician and statesman from Sinn Féin and a leader within the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) during ...

(1950–2017), former

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

leader and

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...

politician *

Jimmy McShane James Harry McShane (23 May 1957 – 29 March 1995) was a singer from Northern Ireland, best known as the front-man of Italian band Baltimora, with the hit song "Tarzan Boy". History McShane was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. Hired as a s ...

(1957–1995), singer and musician *

Hugh O'Doherty Hugh O'Doherty (died 10 March 1924) was an Irish nationalist politician. O'Doherty worked as a solicitor in County Londonderry. A supporter of Charles Stewart Parnell, he was a founder member of the Irish National League. Following Parnell's de ...

( 1829–1901), nationalist politician and

Mayor of Derry The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council is an honorary position bestowed upon a Citizen of Derry City & Strabane District in Northern Ireland, who is in practice a member of Derry and Strabane District Council, chosen by their peers ...

(1957–1981), leader of the

Irish National Liberation Army The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA, ga, Arm Saoirse Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is an Irish republican socialist paramilitary group formed on 10 December 1974, during the 30-year period of conflict known as "the Troubles". The group seek ...

References

External links

* * {{coord, 54, 59, 33, N, 7, 20, 24, W, type:landmark_region:GB-NIR, display=title Cemeteries in Northern Ireland Derry (city)