‘It could’ve been any of our families, if you go back a few generations’, says councillor
Last week, Deputy Lord Mayor Donna Cooney attended a ceremony at Glasnevin to mark the reinterment of the remains of the 1832 Cholera Pandemic victims, found during the Luas Cross City works.
The Green Party councillor unveiled a new headstone to remember these forgotten victims of a sad episode in Dublin’s history, and formally opened an exhibition about this tragic event.
“The archaeological team excavated the remains, put them into individual boxes and were placed in Glasnevin Cemetery,” she told the Irish Independent.
“They couldn’t identify any of the remains because of the time. In the plot they’re in now, individual native trees have been planted in their memory.
“It’s going to be a reflective area that gives them some dignity after this time. It could be any of our families if you go back a few generations.”
Cholera is an infectious disease contracted from contaminated food or water. The primary effect is acute diarrhoea leading to severe dehydration and death within 24 hours.
The Richmond Female Penitentiary in Grangegorman was used as the “Dublin Cholera Hospital”, and accepted patients in April 1832, with nursing support provided by the Sisters of Charity.
Victims of the disease were initially buried in Bully’s Acre, Kilmainham, but this quickly reached capacity, and a new burial ground was urgently required.
It’s believed that the Richmond Penitentiary gardens was used as a cholera burial ground in May 1832, but there had always been some uncertainty as to the exact location of the cemetery.
In 2015, test excavations for Luas Cross City identified two charnel trenches containing disarticulated human remains within the laneway leading from Grangegorman to Broadstone.
Full archaeological excavation took place from October 2015 to February 2016 and specialist post-excavation analysis from 2016 to 2021.
“There’s an exhibition in conjunction with this. People thought it was an airborne disease and didn’t realise that it was waterborne, and they were all getting it from the Broadstone pump,” Cllr Cooney added.
“There were the skeletal remains of one man who had a newborn baby on his shoulder. We don’t know if they’re related.
“There were no historical records, but there was one individual, Anthony Donlevy, they couldn’t identify his remains, but they knew he was there because of a recovered gravestone.”
The gravestone had the inscription: “Here lies the earthly remains of Anthony Donlevy who died 28th July 1832, this small tribute of affection is erected to his memory by his beloved wife Jane Donlevy.”
Research indicates Anthony was born in Cliffony, Co Sligo, and married his wife in Kilcullen, Co Kildare in April 1798. This headstone was also erected at Glasnevin Cemetery, in tribute both to Jane’s love of Anthony, and as a mark of respect for all others who lost loved ones during this time.
The overall Irish death toll from March to December 1832 was around 25,378. Over 11,000 people in Dublin were infected during this period, up to 6,000 of whom passed away.
