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Belfast City Cemetery
Belfast City Cemetery
Details
Established	1869; 155 years ago
Location	Belfast
Country	Northern Ireland, UK
Type	Public
No. of graves	226,000

Belfast City Cemetery (Irish: Reilig Chathair Bhéal Feirste) is a large cemetery in west Belfast, Northern Ireland. It lies within the townland of Ballymurphy, between Falls Road and Springfield Road, near Milltown Cemetery. Burial records have been fully digitized and are searchable online.^[1]

History

Following the Belfast Burial Ground Act (1866), the cemetery was opened on August 1, 1869 as a cross denominational burial ground for the people of Belfast, a fast-growing Victorian town at the time. The land was purchased from Thomas Sinclair. The cemetery features cast iron fountains and separate Protestant and Catholic areas. Many of Belfast's wealthiest families have plots in the cemetery, particularly those involved in the linen trade. Since its opening in 1869 around 226,000 people have been buried in the cemetery.

In 1874 an area was set aside for Belfast's Jewish residents.^[2] In this setion there is a memorial to Daniel Joseph Jaffe, father of Otto Jaffe, a Jewish linen exporter and former Lord Mayor of Belfast. Above the old Jewish entrance to the cemetery, Hebrew writing can clearly be identified.

In 1916 an area was dedicated to soldiers who died serving in World War I, when 296 Commonwealth service personnel were buried in the cemetery. Those whose graves could not be marked by headstones are listed on Screen Wall memorial in Plot H.^[3] Many of the United States Army personnel killed in the sinking of HMS Otranto in 1918 were buried in the graveyard. After the war their bodies were exhumed and repatriated to the United States.

In World War II, 274 Commonwealth service personnel, 5 of them unidentified, were buried in the cemetery, besides 3 Norwegian nationals whose graves are also maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.^[3]

Developments

As the frequent target of vandalism, many of the British Army soldiers' headstones were moved to Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park. In 2012, continuing vandalism of the World War I Screen Wall has led to proposals to move it to another part of the cemetery.^[4] Due to its historical importance, the cemetery is a popular tourist attraction in Belfast, with guided tours available.

As part of a major heritage project the cemetery began a major upgrade in the early 2020s. This included the building of a visitor centre which has various displays about the history of the cemetery.^[5]