The lives and legacies of 40 people who have made a significant contribution to Ireland are being celebrated in a new exhibition at the visitor centre at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.
In 'Extra-ordinary Lives', familiar names including Dermot Morgan, Deirdre Purcell, Stephen Gately and 'Busby Babe', Manchester United footballer Liam Whelan, are part of the indoor immersive exhibition which is being launched this evening.
The cemetery is known as the resting place for historical figures such as Daniel O'Connell and Michael Collins, but the exhibition features stories of more recent leading Irish figures from the arts, culture, political and sports, including Dermot Morgan, who are either buried or were cremated there.
Historian and Archives Manager at Dublin Cemeteries Trust Brian Casey said that the purpose of the exhibition is to "go beyond that political element of Irish history, to look at people that made an important contribution to arts, to culture, to business life, both in Dublin and in Ireland as well".
One of the aims of the exhibition is to offer visitors a deeper insight into some of the notable names they will recognise, including Boyzone singer Stephen Gately and writer Christy Brown, celebrated in the film 'My Left Foot'.
For the team at Glasnevin Cemetery, they say that celebrating these more recent figures from Irish society is important and that they worked closely with all the families to gain those insights.
Megan Hanlon, who curated the exhibition, explained that many of the families said that it was an honour for their loved one to be included.
"There are 1.6 million people buried in Glasnevin, which is more than there are alive in Dublin today," she said.
"We created this exhibition because we have to recognise the kind of broader range of stories that are within these walls, so it doesn't focus solely on revolutionary history, it also branches out to art, literature, photography and captures a broader range of interests."
She particularly enjoyed working with the families behind the scenes, explaining that "it's lovely to be able to share memories with them" and explore their achievements from their lifetimes, but also "on a more personal level, we get the family personal insights, so we've tried to kind of be as human and kind of warm as possible to them".
Some more of the names included in the exhibition's digital timeline, which offers extensive biographical information, include Thom McGinty, known affectionately as 'The Diceman', writer Máire Mhac an tSaoi, popular DJ Tony Fenton, whose grave is marked with a striking vinyl record, and Chuck Feeney, the philanthropist whose ashes are interred at Glasnevin.
Glasnevin Cemetery Tour guide Elaina Donohue Gray, whose popular TikTok videos from her tours have garnered millions of views, is enthusiastic about the exhibition.
"I think it's a fabulous opportunity to witness all different types of people from different walks of life, musicians, artists, poets and hear about them," she said.
She added that "they are all such fabulous people who have had such a great impact on not only us, but everybody who they've come across in their lives, and we think visitors will really enjoy this."
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