Glasnevin Trust, part of the non denominational Dublin Cemeteries Committee, the body which administers Glasnevin Cemetery, is to promote a major architectural competition, in association with the RIAI (Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland) for the design of a chapel to commemorate the 232 people who died during the 1916 Easter Week Rising.

The competition, was launched Monday, September 30th with a closing date of Wednesday, December 18th, 2013 and will be open to registered architects and architects from throughout the EU. It is planned to have the project completed for, and officially opened during, the Easter 2016 Centenary celebrations.

The capital cost of the project is estimated at between €2.5 and €3 million and will be funded partially by the Dublin Cemeteries Committee. Inaddition Government Funding is being sought and the committee has commenced fund raising activities through philanthropic sources.

The competition registration forms are available from the RIAI HERE.

The winner of the architectural competition will receive an award of €10,000 as well as the considerable prestige associated with a project of this nature.

The Judging Panel will comprise of: Des McMahon, Gilroy McMahon Architects Paddy Fletcher, A&D Wejchert Architects John Green, Chairman, Glasnevin Trust John Watson, Board Member, Glasnevin Trust George McCullough, Chief Executive, Glasnevin Trust

Glasnevin Trust is the largest provider of funeral services in Ireland serving 2,500 burials and 1,300 cremations annually, with the level of cremations expected to rise from the current approximate 50% of burials to some 70% in the coming 5 years. The Trust is run by an executive management team and governed by the Dublin Cemeteries Committee, a voluntary not-for-profit body originally established by Daniel O’Connell in 1828.

The Trust’s mission today remains as it was handed down from Daniel O’Connell; “to bury people of all religions and none.” It operates five cemeteries (Dardistown, Glasnevin, Goldenbridge, Newlands Cross and Palmerstown) and two crematoria (Glasnevin and Newlands Cross).

Glasnevin Cemetery was established in 1832 under the direction of Daniel O’Connell. The cemetery encompasses 124 acres and 1.5 million burials. Glasnevin has major national heritage, through the social and historical history of the people buried there from all walks of life over 178 years.

The multi-award winning Glasnevin Museum, operated by Glasnevin Trust, was opened in April 2010. The self-funded €11 million museum showcases the social, historical, political and artistic development of modern Ireland through the lives of the 1.5 million people buried in Glasnevin Cemetery – Ireland’s national necropolis.

The three storey museum hosts three main feature exhibits and a restaurant.

The City of the Dead – an immersive exhibition in the basement of the museum. It covers the burial practices and religious beliefs, as well as the meticulous record-keeping, of the 1.5 million people buried in Glasnevin.

The Milestone Gallery houses a succession of special exhibitions on key historical figures, starting with Glasnevin’s founder Daniel O’Connell. It also houses ‘the Timeline’ – a 10 metre long digitally interactive table containing details of the lives and relationships of hundreds of the most famous people buried there.

The glazed Prospect Gallery offers periodic historical exhibitions over a panoramic view of the cemetery, along with information on its marvellous array of funerary monuments and historic graves.

The Competition for Glasnevin Centenary Chapel is NOT an IAF event and is delivered by RIAI for more information please visit their website.