The wealthy and the poor, artists and industrialists, the destitute and persecuted, servicemen and women: they all found a final resting place here.

The population of Belfast surged rapidly in the middle of the 19th century, putting pressure on many amenities and resources. These included the city’s cemeteries which were mainly owned by churches at that time and were already mostly full. 

To address the situation, Belfast Corporation purchased 101 acres of land off the Falls Road, of which 45 acres were to be laid out as a cemetery. (The remaining land became Falls Park and the grounds for St Patrick’s Industrial School.)

The cemetery offered Proprietary and Paupers’ graves. The former could be bought by individuals or groups, who could choose their plot and headstone. Paupers’ graves, in contrast, had no headstone or marker.

In 1871 Belfast Corporation agreed to an application for a section of land to be allocated for Jewish burials. Another feature of the cemetery is a small fenced-off area marked ‘Ulster Female Penitentiary’. This is a single grave known to contain the remains of seven women prisoners ranging in age from 30 to 75 who died between 1889 and 1946. 

Other notable graves include those of Sir Edward Harland, co-founder of Harland and Wolff, alongside tobacco merchant Thomas Gallaher. 

City Cemetery, which today sits within West Belfast’s Irish-speaking Gaeltacht Quarter, was intended to be non-denominational, although some 15 acres were set aside for Catholic graves.

An saibhir agus an daibhir, ealaíontóirí agus tionsclóirí, na daoine bochta agus iad siúd a raibh géarleanúint á déanamh orthu, fir agus mná seirbhíse: tugadh iad uilig chun na reilige anseo.

Tháinig ardú gasta ar dhaonra Bhéal Feirste i lár an 19ú haois, rud a chuir brú ar go leor áiseanna agus acmhainní. San áireamh leis seo bhí reiligí na cathrach a bhí faoi úinéireacht na n-eaglaisí den chuid is mó ag an am, agus a bhí chóir a bheith lán cheana féin. 

Le dul i ngleic leis seo, cheannaigh Bardas Bhéal Feirste 101 acra de thalamh giota ó Bhóthar na bhFál, agus bhí 45 acra de sin le leagan amach mar reilig. Rinneadh Páirc na bhFál agus Scoil Saoithair Naomh Pádraig den chuid eile den talamh.) 

Chuir an reilig uaigheanna dílsithe agus uaigheanna bochtáin ar fáil. Bhí daoine nó grúpaí ábalta na huaigheanna dílsithe a cheannach, agus thiocfadh leo an láthair agus an leac uaighe a roghnú. I gcodarsnacht leis sin, ní raibh aon leac uaighe ná marcóir ar na huaigheanna bochtáin. 

Rinneadh iarratas le cuid den talamh a chur i leataobh fá choinne adhlacthaí na nGiúdach, agus ghlac Bardas Bhéal Feirste leis sa bhliain 1871. Bhí spás beag eile sa reilig taobh thiar de sconsa atá marcáilte mar ‘Ulster Female Penitentiary’. Is uaigh amháin í seo, agus tá seachtar banpríosúnach curtha inti ó 30 go 75 d’aois, mná a fuair bás idir 1889 agus 1946.

I measc na n-uaigheanna suntasacha eile tá Sir Edward Harland, comhbhunaitheoir Harland and Wolff, taobh leis an gceannaí tobac Thomas Gallaher.

Tá Reilig na Cathrach anois suite taobh istigh de Cheathrú Ghaeltachta Bhéal Feirste, beartaíodh go mbeadh an reilig neamh-shainchreidmheach, ach cuireadh thart fá 15 acra i leataobh fá choinne uaigheanna na gCaitliceach.