St. Joseph's Cemetery, Cork Explained

St. Joseph's Cemetery, Cork, was established for the burials for the poor, by temperance campaigner Father Mathew in 1830 when he leased land from the Botanical Gardens.^[1] It was sometimes called Father Mathew Cemetery.^[2] It was extended in 1880, and Fr. Mathew is buried in the cemetery.^[3] A large number of victims of the Irish Famine are buried on the site, many in unmarked graves.

There are also 24 burials of those who died from the 1914-1918 war and 4 from the 1949-1945 war here, maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.^[4]

Cork Corporation took over the cemetery in 1968.^[5]

The Society of African Missions Church (St. Joseph's) in Wilton, Cork,^[6] has a graveyard beside it confusingly also called St. Joseph's Cemetery.^[7] There are other cemeteries in Cork called St. Joseph's, among them St. Joseph's Cemetery Mallow, and St. Joseph's Cemetery Little Island.

References

1. https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/what-lies-beneath-claire-connolly-on-st-joseph-s-cemetery-in-cork-and-a-botanical-garden-1.4540712 What lies beneath – Claire Connolly on St Joseph’s cemetery in Cork and a botanical garden
2. http://www.nga.ie/Fenians-James_Mountaine.php James Mountaine (Fenian)
3. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/20870013/st-josephs-cemetery-bothar-na-mbuaircini-spittal-lands-cork-cork St Joseph's Cemetery, Bothar na mBuaircini, Spittal-Lands, Cork
4. https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2069221/cork-st-joseph-s-cemetery/ St. Joseph's Cemetery, Cork
5. https://19162016committee.org/?portfolio=ghosts-of-st-josephs Portfolio Ghosts of St. Josephs
6. https://www.smawilton.ie/ St. Joseph's Church SMA
7. https://sma.ie/st-joseph-s-cemetery-cork/ St. Joseph's Cemetery, Wilton, Cork