National Graves Association, Belfast

The National Graves Association, Belfast (Irish: Cumann Uaigheann na Laocradh Gaedheal, Béal Feirste) is a private Irish republican organisation which undertakes to care for and maintain the graves of some Irish Republican Army volunteers who are buried in Belfast cemeteries. It is a separate organisation from the National Graves Association based in Dame Street, Dublin.

The first Belfast branch of the National Graves Association was founded in the mid 1930s. Internment and imprisonment of republicans down through the years has led to the Belfast branch, at times, becoming, temporarily inactive.

National Graves Association, Belfast has as its primary objectives "to restore and maintain fittingly, the graves of all those who died for Irish Freedom, to compile a record of those graves and to foster respect for the national dead." The association has, from its inception, maintained the graves of republicans buried in Belfast. Monuments have been erected, restored and graves have been marked and maintained. In addition to this, it has successfully campaigned for the re-interment of the remains of Tom Williams.

In recent times the committee has overseen the complete rebuilding of what has become known as the New Republican Plot, which contains the remains of 77 republicans who have died while part of an active service unit or during imprisonment. The association is also responsible for the maintenance of the County Antrim Plot which contains the remains of 34 IRA volunteers; the Harbinson plot in which five IRA volunteers are interred, and a number of other republican graves some from as early as the 1920s. These graves have been traditionally marked with the Red Hand of Ulster. Many Belfast republicans are buried in their family graves and as such do not fall under the association's care. However, in addition to maintaining particular plots and monuments the association has endeavoured to direct local commemoration committees to maintain some family graves which, for some reason may have fallen into disrepair.

The association, presently, has a committee of twelve members. Its membership is made up of republicans from across the city, including the Chairperson Liam Shannon, Annie Cahill, Bridget Hannon, Paul Di Lucia, Dessie Kennedy, Niall Ó'Donnaighle, Stephen McGuigan and Anne Murray.

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