The THEA award was announced at a glittering ceremony in Los Angeles yesterday and makes Glasnevin the first cemetery to be rewarded for excellence in creating a compelling educational, historical and entertainment project. Previous recipients of the award include Madame Tussauds, London, and the Abraham Lincoln Museum, Illinois.
Glasnevin is best known as Ireland's 'national' necropolis. It was founded in 1832 by the Liberator himself, Daniel O'Connell, as the island's first non-denominational cemetery and, with its 1.2million inhabitants, now covers 124 acres. As the last resting place of Ireland's great and good, it has long been a popular place for locals and visitors to stroll and reflect.
Less than a year after opening its doors, Glasnevin Museum has earned a firm place on the tourism and genealogy trail. It is also home to the Glasnevin Archives which contain the indexed registers of every burial or cremation to have taken place there. These are now available online at the Glasnevin Trust website.
