Our Parish's Cemetery Sunday was held yesterday. It was a glorious day and the cemetery was packed with people visiting their relatives' graves. At this time of year, the graves are particularly tended to, spruced up and decorated with flowers and plants. The whole cemetery was ablaze with colour. Everyone that is able attends the cemetery on this day. I literally bumped into big Ted and we had a few words before he headed off into the lower, new end of the cemetery. On this one day a year, we see people we haven't seen the rest of the year. It's a nice tradition and is one more way to remember our dead. May they rest in peace.

Ann, Wasn't there two RC cemetaries, one behind the Chapel and the other behind the old Free School??. Mauri

Ann, what a lovely thing to do. I know it is a tradition at your church and one which I would like to have at any church I go to. It speaks of family, belonging, honour, and a way of life that is much more than just tradition.

Mauri, you are correct about there being two cemeteries. The old one is behind the chapel and I must make a point of visiting as I have never been. I'm sure there are many interesting gravestones there, really old ones, and some not so old. That cemetery is no longer used unless someone has a grave there already belong to relatives.

Even the cemetery which you mention behind the old school is becoming full. There is a new section now down some steps where the most recent graves are. There is also a plot for those wishing to be cremated (including myself) and it's another addition and change to our cemetery. We have a beautiful section also for babies who died after birth ore even in the womb. It is particularly lovely, but not for the parents visiting.

Ann
the cemetery behind St Patrick´s is very interesting. For example direct on the rear wall of the church there is a communal grave where the Nuns who came from France over 150 years ago to found the Convent are interred. Also a lot of headstones erected by Lisburn emigrants to America in memory of their parents can be seen throughout the cemetery.
donald

Hi Donald, The old cemetery backed on to the boys school handball alley and there was a small wall to the left which we could climb over and probably 1945 or so someone noticed a grave was opened and a scull was lying amongst the soil that had been extracted which created some craic in the yard that day as it was like Beechers Brook with boys coming and going over the wall as it was the first one any of us had seen up to then,but as you say I remember one of Dermot Dornan's family in America sending the money home for a stone for there parents who were buried there, Regards Ted

How many of you know there is a cemetery in Railway Street behind the old Friends Meeting Hall and also another one behind the Cathedral. Mauri

Ann, if you get the chance to visit the old cemetery behind the church, you can look out for a headstone erected by Eliza Body.

mauri,
i've been around the old cathedral cemetary, reading the headstones.
where was the old friends meeting house in railway street, relative to the old post office, i can't remember it tom

I remember hearing about a "boneyard" behind the Infirmary in Seymour St. where limbs etc were buried which were amputated from patients. How much truth there is I cannot say.
donald

Tom, The Friends Hall was on the right hand side coming up from the Post Office there was a shoemenders shop right at the corner of Graham's Garden then the Hall. During the war there was some sort of club for young people in the Hall which I used to go to occasionaly. Mauri

The old Friends Meeting House is now an undertakers. The Meeting House is now at Friends School. Joe Kennedy's funeral was there. I don't know about the grave yard. Margaret Ps everytime I put your name Mauri in it changed to Tom ??

Hi Margaret, Thank you for that information re the Friends Meeting Hall, as the saying goes "Time marches on" can't explain how Tom's name keeps coming up when you type in mine??? Mauri