Extra-ordinary Lives’ celebrated at Glasnevin exhibition 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. The exhibition, titled ‘Extra-ordinary Lives’, features stories of more recent leading Irish figures from the arts, culture, political and sports, including Dermot Morgan, Deirdre Purcell, Stephen Gately and Liam Whelan. The exhibition is being launched this evening at the Glasnevin Cemetery visitor centre. 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. Rob Morgan, son of Father Ted’s Dermot Morgan, discusses his father being added to the “Extra-Ordinary Lives exhibition” at Glasnevin Cemetery. The exhibition includes individuals who are either buried or were cremated at Glasnevin Cemetery.
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