An estimated 14,000 people have been interred here, though the exact number is uncertain as burial records only began in 1831. In the early decades, grave robbing was a serious problem, with bodies stolen for anatomical dissection. Night watchmen and iron coffin guards were introduced to deter “resurrection men.” By the late 19th century, burials had declined sharply, and the cemetery closed in 1995.
Writing in the 1950s, local historian Dr. R.W.M. Strain described the cemetery as “a veritable Westminster Abbey in miniature,” encapsulating the city’s history in its monuments to figures from politics, industry, medicine, and philanthropy. Three graves in particular highlight this rich cross-section of Belfast life.
The simple red granite headstone of Mary Ann McCracken marks the resting place of one of Belfast’s most remarkable women. Born into a prominent industrial family, she was a social reformer, an early advocate for women’s rights, and a committed anti-slavery campaigner. Disheartened by what she saw as Belfast’s growing materialism, she lamented in her later years that only “16 or 17 female anti-slavery advocates” remained. Mary Ann was also the sister of Henry Joy McCracken, a leader of the 1798 United Irish Rebellion who was executed in Belfast. His remains were reinterred beside hers after her death in 1866. Their shared headstone poignantly recalls that “she wept by her brother’s scaffold, 17th July 1798.”
Nearby stands the Dunville family vault, one of the cemetery’s most imposing structures. The Dunvilles were renowned whiskey distillers whose “V.R.” (Victoria Regina) brand gained fame across Ireland and beyond. John Dunville, who began as a tea and whiskey merchant’s apprentice, founded the family firm that thrived for five generations before closing in 1936. Their wealth and civic pride are reflected not only in their grand mausoleum but also in their donation of Dunville Park to the people of Belfast in 1891. The family’s whiskey legacy was revived by Echlinville Distillery in 2013.
The cemetery also honours Alexander Mitchell, an ingenious engineer and inventor. Born in Dublin and blind from his early twenties, Mitchell ran a brickworks in Belfast and designed the revolutionary screw-pile foundation used to anchor lighthouses on shifting sandbanks. His first successful test took place in Belfast Lough, and his design was later used worldwide. For his innovation, Mitchell was awarded the Telford Medal by the Institution of Civil Engineers.
While Clifton Street Cemetery is often celebrated as the resting place of Belfast’s wealthy and influential, it also holds mass graves of the city’s poor—victims of the 1832 cholera epidemic and the 1840s famine. These unmarked plots remind visitors of another Belfast: a city grappling with overcrowding, poverty, and disease amid rapid industrial growth.
Today, Clifton Street Cemetery stands as a powerful record of the city’s contrasting histories—of progress and hardship, of innovation and inequality—etched into its stones and soil.
Public and private tours of the cemetery are regularly available through Clifton House. Visit our Events page for more details and to book.
Would you like to visit a family grave at Clifton Street Cemetery? Appointments to access the cemetery can only be facilitated with at least 48 hours’ notice and are subject to staff availability.