The final resting place of Galway's famous and not-so-famous.

When I first published a collection of photographs from Bohermore Cemetery in August 2016, I was met with some thoughtful objections. My description of it as a "Victorian Cemetery" was questioned by a few, who rightly pointed out that it did not possess all the typical attributes they associated with that term. This prompted me to look deeper into the cemetery's history and consider the nuances of such labels.

My discovery of the cemetery was entirely by chance. On the last day of a visit to Galway in August 2016, I was walking at random through the Bohermore area—a name derived from the Irish Bóthar Mór, literally meaning "the big road." I stumbled upon this fascinating burial ground, which was not what I would have expected. In contrast to the romantic, often melancholic disarray of many historic cemeteries, this one was remarkably well-organised, immaculately maintained, and possessed a certain orderly character. This perhaps explains why it is still known locally as the 'New Cemetery' (having opened in 1880 to relieve the overflowing parish churchyards).

The objections to my 'Victorian' description were, I believe, more factual than political, and they touch upon an interesting question: what defines a "Victorian" cemetery?

There are indeed different types. The most iconic is the 'garden cemetery' style, popularised by sprawling, romantic landscapes like Highgate in London or Glasnevin in Dublin. These were often commercial enterprises, featuring ornate Gothic mausoleums, weeping angels, grand obelisks, and winding paths designed for promenading mourners. They were as much public parks and status symbols as they were burial grounds.

Bohermore does not fit this flamboyant mould. It was established as a municipal cemetery in the latter part of the Victorian period (1837–1901), in a post-Famine Ireland. Its design likely prioritised public health, order, and practicality over the opulent architectural styles seen in wealthier centres of the British Empire. This makes the objections factually sound; it is not a classic Victorian-style cemetery.

However, to dismiss its Victorian connection entirely would be inaccurate. It is, unequivocally, a Victorian-era cemetery. Its origins, earliest burials, and the social context in which it was founded are all rooted in that period. The memorials themselves tell a uniquely Irish story from that time, with magnificent Celtic crosses—a powerful symbol of Gaelic revival and national identity—standing alongside the more conventional headstones of the period. It is the final resting place of notable figures such as the dramatist and folklorist Lady Gregory, as well as the infamous propagandist William Joyce ("Lord Haw-Haw"), whose graves tell complex stories of Irish life during and after the Victorian age.

Ultimately, "Victorian-era" is the more precise and respectful term. It accurately places the cemetery in its historical timeframe without imposing an aesthetic style that it does not claim. Bohermore is a product of its time and place: a sober, dignified, and distinctly Irish response to the universal need to honour the dead, created during the reign of Queen Victoria.