Review of MOUNT JEROME: Dublin's Victorian Cemetery. By Maurice Curtis…read more
30 March 2026
Reviewed by Ben O'Reilly, Film and Book Critic
Maurice Curtis, the well-known Historian and writer, has turned his meticulously researched attention to uncover the vast secrets and stories surrounding those buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Harold's Cross, Dublin.
This particular offering is a veritable "who's who" of the famous and not-so-famous, that are buried in Mount Jerome. Many of the names are familiar as they relate to the names of thoroughfares in the local area and in Dublin generally.
The book, adorned with photographs of the many Victorian memorials, tombs, vaults and crypts, is a veritable treasure-trove of information on the history and lives of those within, complete with many anecdotal tales. For example; at the tomb of the Gresham family vault is a space for a bell - which is no longer there - which Mrs Gresham insisted on, in case she woke up! The cable from the bell is still there leading into the chamber area.
Just some of the names which piqued my interest, included:
Members of Michael Collins' "The Squad" (AKA The Twelve Apostles), Thomas Davis (founding editor of The Nation), Sheridan Le Fanu (writer of gothic, horror and mystery stories), Bram Stoker's mother and brother. Leo Burdock (of the famous chipper family), the Guinness family, James Pearse (father of Patrick Pearse), Lady Jane Wilde (mother of Oscar - who wrote under Esperanza. J. M. Synge, J. B. Yeats George Russel (AE). Audrey Hepburn's father is also buried there as is Maeve Binchy, The Pollock family may be unknown to many - including me - but they hold the distinction of having the very first burial held in Mount Jerome in 1836, as their new-born twins were interred within.
Some of the tombs stand out from others, and one in particular is the Cusack family vault, which resembles a miniature Greek temple.
The book - which lists all those famous and infamous - has an alphabetical index, for anyone seeking out information on a particular individual.
I will be allowing plenty of time during my next visit to Mount Jerome, as I take a stroll along its many by-ways with a renewed interest in those entombed within.
The book is available in ALAN HANNA'S BOOKSHOP in Rathmines and the Village Bookshop in Terenure or from AMAZON. It retails at 24.95 Euro and is in hardback.
Ben OReilly