The Old Church Cemetery (also known as Cobh Cemetery) is an ancient

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

on the outskirts of the town of

Cobh Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. With a population of 14,148 inhabitants at the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, Cobh is on the south si ...

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

which contains a significant number of important burials, including a number 3 mass graves and several individual graves containing the remains of 193 victims of the passenger ship which was sunk by a German torpedo off the

Old Head of Kinsale The Old Head of Kinsale () is a headland near Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. A castle has been on the headland since at least the 3rd century, with the current iteration built in 1223. An early lighthouse was established here in the 17th centur ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in May 1915 with the loss of more than 1,100 lives. The

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

register and maintain the graves of 127 identified Commonwealth service personnel (including ''Lusitania'' victims) from the same war.

Notable burials

* Captain

Thomas Brierley The gravestone of Thomas Brierley (1785 – 1854 or 1855) in Mellor, Greater Manchester, is one of the few in the United Kingdom known to incorporate masonic pigpen cypher in its inscription. Brierley's life and freemasonry Thomas Brierley ...

, awarded a medal for his part in rescue of survivors from RMS ''Lusitania'' * Jack Doyle (1913–1978), boxer, singer,

Irish Guards The Irish Guards (IG) is one of the Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division. Together with the Royal Irish Regiment (1992), Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish infant ...

soldier and actor *

Robert Forde Robert Forde (29 August 1875 – 13 March 1959) was an Antarctic explorer and member of the Terra Nova Expedition under Captain Robert Falcon Scott from 1910–1912. Early life Robert Forde was born in rural parish of Moviddy near Bandon, C ...

(1875–1959), Antarctic explorer *

Charles Hallahan Charles John Hallahan (July 29, 1943 – November 25, 1997) was an American film, television, and stage actor. His films include '' Going in Style'' and ''Nightwing'' (both 1979), '' The Thing'' (1982), '' Silkwood'' and '' Twilight Zone: The M ...

(1943–1997), American actor * Frederick Daniel Parslow (1856–1915), posthumous recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

and first member of the British Mercantile Marine to receive the award * Charles Wolfe (1791–1823), poet, remembered for "The Burial of Sir John Moore at Corunna" * Louis Piatt (1876–1884), son of American poets John James Piatt and Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt; drowned in a boating accident in Cork Harbor * Dr James Roche Verling (1787–1858), personal physician to

Emperor of the French Emperor of the French ( French: ''Empereur des Français'') was the title of the monarch and supreme ruler of the First French Empire and the Second French Empire. The emperor of France was an absolute monarch. Details After rising to power by ...

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

during his exile on

St. Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...

* Six members of the crew of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

submarine which was destroyed in an accidental explosion at nearby

Haulbowline Haulbowline (; ) is an island in Cork Harbour off the coast of Ireland. The world's first yacht club was founded on Haulbowline in 1720. The western side of the island is the main naval base and headquarters for the Irish Naval Service, with t ...

Naval Base in February 1905

References

External links

* {{coord, 51.86342, -8.29822, display=title Cemeteries in the Republic of Ireland Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Ireland Monuments and memorials in the Republic of Ireland Religion in County Cork