Friar's Bush Graveyard

Visitor information
Address: Stranmillis Road, Belfast, BT9 (entry is via Stranmillis Road).

Telephone: Call the Cemeteries and Crematorium Central Office on 028 9027 0296. It is open from 8.30am daily until 5pm (Monday to Thursday), 4.30pm (Friday) and 12.30pm (Saturday).

Opening hours: By appointment only.
Friar’s Bush Graveyard is thought to be Belfast’s oldest Christian burial ground, possibly dating back to pre-Christian times.

It also contains the mass grave of hundreds of victims of Belfast’s cholera epidemics.

It is a recognised historical site and is open for viewing by appointment only .

Photo gallery

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Access information
Bus routes: Metro 8A or 8B (get off at Botanic Gardens).

Car parking: None available.

Disabled access: There are some level paths within the cemetery but some areas are not suitable for wheelchair users.

Key features

Entry into the graveyard is through an arched gothic gate lodge, built by the Marquis of Donegall in 1828.

Inserted into the ground near the entrance is a special plaque. It was presented by the Irish government in 1995 and recognises Friar’s Bush as Belfast’s 'official' famine site.

History

Legend has it that St Patrick built a church and blessed a well on the site of Friar's Bush Graveyard, while an order of friars is also said to have been established there.

Two important stones found within the cemetery grounds also seem to support this theory.

The first is the famous Friar's stone, which features three crudely cut crosses and the date AD 485. There is some doubt however over the authenticity of the stone.

The second is a badly worn stone pillar with a hole near its head which, many believe, is proof that it may have been part of an early church.

Penal laws

The name 'Friar’s Bush' comes from an old hawthorn tree in the centre of the cemetery known as 'the friar’s bush' – although exactly who the friar was is unclear!

During the 18th century, Catholics gathered in secret in the graveyard to celebrate mass under the bush (the celebration of Catholic mass was banned under harsh penal laws at the time).

A friar is also said to have been hanged on the site in the 1720s.

At that time, the graveyard was described as "an unenclosed circular mound used for burials of all denominations".

Extension and consecration

In 1828, the Marquis of Donegall provided land to extend the cemetery.

The site was also enclosed with a eight foot high wall at this time, probably to deter bodysnatchers who sold newly buried bodies to anatomists for profit.

After it was consecrated in 1829, the cemetery was used exclusively by Roman Catholics.

Famine and disease

The site contains the mass graves of hundreds of people who lost their lives during the cholera epidemic of the 1830s and the famine of the 1840s. They were buried under a mound, known as ‘Plaguey Hill’, located just inside the site's main gates.

Public ownership

By the mid 1800s, Friar's Bush was becoming overcrowded and only families with burial rights were allowed to be interred in the graveyard.

The site was maintained by the Roman Catholic Church until 2000 when it was taken over by the council.

Famous burials

Amongst those buried in Friar's Bush Graveyard are: