Unmarked Graves Of Thousands Of Stillborn Babies In North Dublin To Be Built Over

The Herald is reporting that members of the Glasnevin Trust want to build a chapel on the St. Paul’s section of the burial site to commemorate 232 citizens who died during the 1916 Rising.

However, the plans for the new chapel and car park will mean building over the unmarked graves of thousands of stillborn babies and children and adults who died from illness.

The move has been described as “deeply insensitive and insulting to any life”.

Although no confirmation has been made yet about the move, the proposed chapel would be able to seat 100 people, include a reflective pool and have a 68-space car park. 

Dublin City Council refused the planning permission in May as the development would be on “a highly sensitive site consisting of a known and historic burial ground containing approximately 3,900 burials”.

However, in November the council reversed that decision and granted permission for the project subject to a number of conditions.

These conditions include that:

• No graves shall be disturbed.
• That an archaeological assessment is conducted to examine the “nature, extent and location of graves”.
• An examination on the impact that the development will have on the graves is needed also.

Former Dublin City councillor Mary Fitzpatrick lives in the area and feels that the graves shouldn’t be forgotten about.

“The proposal to build any structure or car park on the graves of over 3,000 children is insensitive and disrespectful.

“Historical details of the burials on these lands show that it is the final resting place of infants and babies, many of whom died from neglect.

“These are largely forgotten children deprived of any dignity in life, buried in paupers’ graves and should not be denied further dignity in death.”

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