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We look forward to welcoming you to Glasnevin Cemetery.

Contact & Booking

School Tours Monday - Friday Subject to availability

Booking Essential

T: 01 882 6570 E: [email protected]

Planning Information

There is a requirement that all visiting Primary/Secondary School Students and Youth Groups are supervised by a teacher/group leader at all times when on the grounds of Glasnevin Cemetery. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more detail.

Code of Conduct PDF

Generally we do not charge for accompanying teachers/education leaders – this may change depending on the group numbers in question.

No, we do not have a designated lunch-room. There is an outdoor picnic area and education groups are welcome to make use of this.

No. The O’Connell Tower is a separate tour experience and due to the nature of the structure there are added Health & Safety Guidelines. Depending on the age of the students (must be over 12), schools can opt to book this as an extra to their tour. Please note that much higher levels of group supervision are required

See Health & Safety guidelines.

Guided tours of Glasnevin Cemetery take place outdoors, even on days when the weather is less than perfect. If it is necessary, our experienced guides will make the decision to halt the outdoor walking tour and to use an alternative location to complete the tour. We ask that all students arrive prepared for the outdoors; depending on the day this may mean raincoats or sunscreen.

Yes. Once your booking is confirmed an email containing learning resources, matched to the tour/workshop of your choice, will be emailed directly to the email provided on booking. If you require anything further please email [email protected] .

There are additional learning resources available within the Education Resources section of this website.

Location & Access

Experience Glasnevin is located on the Finglas Road, Dublin 11, approximately 3km from the City Centre, and near to the M50 and M1.

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Free on-site coach parking is available for group bookings. Prior to arrival, we ask that you inform us if you require coach parking. Please ensure that groups disembark the coach only when it is safely parked within the designated coach/bus area.

There is also a car park for up to 30 cars. A €2 fee applies, payable on exit.

The standard opening time of the Visitor Centre and adjoining facilities is 10am. Earlier opening may be arranged on request and is subject to availability.

The Visitor Centre is fully wheelchair accessible and so are all elements of the guided tour, apart from Daniel O’Connell’s crypt which is accessed via steps.

Yes, there is a pedestrian gateway linking Glasnevin Cemetery to the Botanic Gardens.

See here for more information.

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Dublin Cemeteries Trust is operated by the Dublin Cemeteries Committee (Register Charity Number 20009441; CHY no. 5849). Incorporating Cemeteries, Crematoria, Heritage Services & Visitor Experience.

Discover our story

Use the Glasnevin Cemetery Learning Portal to explore the past. You decide what path to take.

Explore the Timeline and Map to discover the origins of the cemetery, to learn about people in the past, and to discuss how individual lives were affected by historical events that are studied in the classroom. As you explore the past, connect your locality to national and international events.

Watch a series of short films that explore topics such as the History of Glasnevin Cemetery and Social History.

Contains Classroom Guides, Keywords, and tailored Learning Activities. Further Learning Activities can be found throughout the Timeline and Map.

Test what you have learned about the past through a Multiple Choice Quiz!

Featured Content

Michael Carey’s headstone states that his burial was the first in Glasnevin Cemetery. He was buried on 22 February 1832 and since then over one million people have been laid to rest in the cemetery. When the cemetery opened it was only 9 acres in size and was called Prospect Cemetery. The oldest section is still known as Prospect and this is where Michael’s grave is located.

To discover more about Michael Carey, explore the Timeline .

The Glasnevin Cemetery Learning Portal is supported by the Department of Education.

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Glasnevin Cemetery Guided Walking Tour

• Cloudy days

Since 1828, more than 1.5 million people have been interred in Glasnevin - rich and famous, paupers and politicians, artists, warriors and heroes, all resting side by side in this renowned Victorian Garden Cemetery. Established by Daniel O’Connell as a place where people of “all religions and none” could bury their dead with dignity; the cemetery has grown to become a national monument and is a vital part of the Irish Heritage story.

Tours: Key to Glasnevin’s success is the popularity of the tour guides whose enthusiasm is compelling. Brimming with banter and charm each tour guide is passionate about sharing their love of heritage and history. There is inspiration around every corner and at every grave, and with one and a half million stories buried in Glasnevin, there’s no shortage of tales to tell.

General History Tours- Daily at 11:30, 13:30 and 14:30 (12:30 extra tour at the weekend)

Interactive exhibitions, dramatic re-enactments and daily walking tours visiting many of the renowned figures that shaped Ireland including Charles Stewart Parnell, Roger Casement, Eamon De Valera, Michael Collins, Constance Markievicz, Brendan Behan, Luke Kelly and Daniel O'Connell. An unique opportunity to gain an understanding of Ireland's complex and fascinating history. Visit inside Daniel O'Connell's Celtic Romantic designed Crypt and iconic tower, the tallest in Ireland, forms part of the tour.

Trace Your Ancestors

A genealogy research area, where access to the extensive online records can be accessed is a must for those researching their ancestry.

Visit the museum shop, home to a beautiful collection of Irish crafts, jewellery, mementos, historical books, and other interesting gifts.

1916 Exhibition

The majority of those killed during the 1916 Easter Rising are buried in Glasnevin Cemetery. Here we hold the stories of those who participated in and witnessed this defining moment in Irish history, from Volunteers to Fusiliers and everyone in between. Starting this year special 1916 tours of the cemetery will take place telling the story of Easter week through the lives of those ordinary and extraordinary figures buried here.

All freshly made cakes, scones, salads and artisan sandwiches are prepared on a daily basis and what better way to end a visit to the museum with a fresh bite to eat, cup of coffee or a sweet treat.

Glasnevin Cemetery Dublin: Where You’ll Discover The Stories Of 1.5 Million People

By Author James March

Posted on Last updated: January 2, 2024

A visit to the historic Glasnevin Cemetery is one of the most popular things to do in Dublin .

Almost 200 years old and acting as the final resting place of 1.5+ million people, the stories Glasnevin holds within its walls would stretch across the Atlantic.

There are multiple tours to choose from, including, The Irish History Tour, The O’Connell Tower Tour, The Self Guided Tour and the Extra-Ordinary Lives Tour (info on each below).

In this guide, you’ll find everything from the history of Glasnevin Cemetery and its opening hours to what to see while you’re there.

Table of Contents

Some quick need-to-knows about Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin

Photo by Yulia Plekhanova (Shutterstock)

Although a visit to Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin is fairly straightforward, there are a few need-to-knows that’ll make your visit that bit more enjoyable.

1. Location

Lying around 3km north of the city centre, you can take either the 40 or 140 bus from O’Connell Street which will drop you right outside the entrance on Finglas Road.

2. Admission + opening hours

Wander through the cemetery and enjoy its serenity every day from 9am until 5pm. The opening hours for the visitor centre are every day from 10am to 5pm. The various tours are priced differently. You’ll find info on each below.

So, there’s a parking at Glasnevin Cemetery for up to 30 cars. You’ll also have to pay €2 (price may change). There’s more parking across the road ( here on Google Maps – across from the Tower Cafe).

4. The tours

One fascinating thing about Glasnevin is the breadth of tours on offer that really showcase Irish history at its most illuminating. We’ll get into the details of them a little later, but definitely consider booking on to one of them during your time there!

5. The stories of 1.5 million people

Almost 200 years old, the stories Glasnevin holds within its walls would stretch across the Atlantic. From political struggle to inspired poetry, there are some serious tales to be told by icons of Irish history! Not only that; they’re also the stories of the ordinary folk who’ve made Dublin what it is today.

The history of Glasnevin Cemetery

Photo ©Tourism Ireland via Ireland’s Content Pool

The history of Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin is an interesting one, and it’s arguably best discovered on one of the tours (info later in the guide).

Now, I just want to emphasise that the history of Glasnevin Cemetery outlined below is a brief one, and I won’t do it justice in just a few paragraphs.

The need for a Catholic burial ground

Before the founding of Glasnevin, Catholics in Dublin had had no cemeteries of their own in which to bury their dead. The regressive Penal Laws had placed restrictions on Catholics over the course of a couple of centuries, including the public performance of their own services and funerals.

When a Catholic priest attempted a limited version of a funeral mass in 1823 provoked a public outcry, things started to get heated and Daniel O’Connell launched a campaign pushing for the opening of a burial ground in which both Irish Catholics and Protestants could give their dead dignified burial.

Nine years later, Glasnevin Cemetery was consecrated and opened to the public for the first time on 21 February 1832

The opening and its early years

The following day, the cemetery’s first burial took place in a section of the cemetery known as Curran’s Square and it was that of eleven-year-old Michael Carey from Francis Street in Dublin.

The plot of land used for Glasnevin was quite large (originally 9 acres but has now swelled to 124 acres) and, perhaps inevitably, it became a significant place of burial for those who lost their lives during the Great Famine of the 1840s.

In fact, it’s estimated that nearly 800,000 people are buried in Glasnevin in unmarked mass graves due to the famine and a later cholera epidemic.

A whole host of famous names

While Glasnevin contains the burial records of almost 1.5 million people, one of its undeniable attractions is the number of well-known Irish national figures who are also buried there.

Prominent political figures buried at Glasnevin include nationalist leader Michael Collins, third president of Ireland Éamon de Valera, Catholic politician and campaigner Daniel O’Connell, and nationalist MP Charles Stewart Parnell.

From the art world, there are the graves of Dubliners musician Luke Kelly, poet and novelist Brendan Behan and writer and painter Christy Brown.

The different Glasnevin Cemetery tours

Photo left: Alexebb. Photo right: David Soanes (Shutterstock)

The Glasnevin Cemetery tour is well worth doing. And there are 4 different types to choose from, depending on how you like to explore.

You can book tickets for each of the Glasnevin Cemetery Museum and ground tours online (see links under each tour below).

1. Irish History Tour

There are plenty of famous names buried at Glasnevin, but what gives them such significance? Take Glasnevin’s Irish History Tour to learn a whole lot more about the people and the events that contributed to Ireland’s turbulent last couple of centuries.

Expert tour guides will explain the 1916 Easter Rising and the Civil War, all while taking you around the graves of famous protagonists such as Michael Collins and Countess Markievicz.

The tour also includes a stop at the ornate crypt of cemetery founder Daniel O’Connell and you’ll hear insights into the intricate monuments and Celtic crosses that populate the grounds. Public tours are €13 (concession €11) while family tickets are €35 (2 Adults + up to 4 Children). You can book them online .

2. The Extra-Ordinary Lives Tour

With 1.5 million people buried within the grounds of Glasnevin Cemetry, you can only imagine the incredible lives that many of these people lived. 

Join an experienced tour guide to learn about some of the incredible achievements and extra-ordinary lives of Dublin’s dead. You’ll visit the final resting place of writer Brendan Behan and learn more about the man who once famously described himself as a “drinker with a writing problem.” 

Make your way through the cemetery, hearing about the life of poet and novelist Rosa Mulholland before heading back in time to the opening of Glasnevin and visiting its first inhabitant, Michael Carey, who was buried here in February 1982.

The tour runs every Saturday at 1 pm. 

3. The O’Connell Tower Tour

While his name probably doesn’t have the same emotional resonance as Michael Collins or Luke Kelly, Daniel O’Connell is the most important name at Glasnevin, as the cemetery wouldn’t even exist without him.

Fittingly, his burial spot is grander than the others and the O’Connell Tower Tour will explain all about his significance. When you visit his ornate crypt, you’ll find out why he was known as ‘The Liberator’ and how the famous Tower came into existence.

Speaking of the Tower, are you willing to climb all 198 steps to the top? If so, you’ll be treated to some deadly panoramic views over Dublin from the not-insignificant height of 55-metres!

4. The Self-Guided Tour

If you’d prefer to go around Glasnevin by yourself, then of course, you’re welcome to do just that on the self-guided tour .

For €8, you’ll get an audio guide and a Glasnevin Cemetery map that’ll help you explore the ‘key graves’ within its walls.

Each tour ticket includes admission to a new indoor visitor experience which boasts a wide variety of exhibits, archives and interactive displays.

Things to do near Glasnevin Cemetery

One of the reasons that a visit to the Glasnevin Cemetery Museum is one of the most popular day trips from Dublin City is due to the volume of things there are to see and do.

Below, you’ll find places to visit a stone’s throw from the Glasnevin Cemetery tour, from one of the oldest pubs in Dublin to the brilliant Botanic Gardens.

1. National Botanic Gardens

Photo left: kstuart. Photo right: Nick Woodards (Shutterstock)

Situated next door to Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, the National Botanic Gardens offer the chance for further leafy peaceful solace but this time without all the dead people! Founded in 1795, they house approximately 20,000 living plants and many millions of dried plant specimens across 48 acres.

2. Croke Park

Photos via Shutterstock

Nearby Glasnevin lies Croke Park , Dublin’s iconic Gaelic football stadium. Don’t forget, there doesn’t need to be a game happening to enjoy a visit there! Take a Stadium Tour to learn about Croke Park’s interesting history and then get a cracking view of Dublin from above on the Skyline Tour!

3. Endless attractions in the city

Photo by Mike Drosos (Shutterstock)

Head back down south towards the city centre but stop by at Parnell Square to celebrate some of Dublin’s finest literary artists at the Dublin Writers Museum or the James Joyce Centre. Continue on down O’Connell Street if you want to see Trinity College and Temple Bar . Staying north of the Liffey, the Jameson Bow St Distillery is just a 15-minute walk from Parnell Square.

4. Food and trad pubs

Photos by The Irish Road Trip

You can’t spend time in Glasnevin without going for a pint at the legendary ‘Gravediggers’ pub, otherwise known as John Kavanagh. This no-nonsense pub does arguably the best Guinness in Dublin .

FAQs about the Glasnevin Cemetery tour

We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from ‘Can you walk around Glasnevin Cemetery?’ (you can) to ‘Is there parking at Glasnevin Cemetery?’ (there is).

In the section below, we’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. If you have a question that we haven’t tackled, ask away in the comments section below.

Is the Glasnevin Cemetery tour worth doing?

Yes. The history of Glasnevin Cemetery is a long and fascinating one, and the tours are delivered by energetic and experienced guides.

How much are tickets for the Glasnevin Cemetery Museum?

Ticket prices vary, depending on the type of tour you choose (there are 4). Each ticket also gives you admission to the new indoor Glasnevin Cemetery Museum/visitor experience.

Where do you get parking at Glasnevin Cemetery?

So, there’s parking at Glasnevin Cemetery for up to 30 cars. You’ll also have to pay €2. There’s more parking across the road (across from the Tower Cafe).

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Glasnevin Museum & Cemetery Tour

• See the final resting place of key Irish figures such as Michael Collins, Charles Stewart Parnell, Éamon de Valera, Countess Markievicz, Maud Gonne, Luke Kelly and Brendan Behan
• Visit the iconic O'Connell round tower, and see the O'Connell Crypt
• Discover great exhibitions at Glasnevin Museum, and explore the lives of the most influential figures in Irish history.

Glasnevin Cemetery - A Background

Glasnevin Cemetery was established by legendary Irish statesman Daniel O'Connell in 1832. Key figures from Irish history and culture have been laid to rest within these grounds such as: Michael Collins, Charles Stewart Parnell, Éamon de Valera, Countess Markievicz, Maud Gonne, Luke Kelly and Brendan Behan to name but a few. The impressive site just outside Dublin City spans 124 acres, boasting a vast array of ornate sculptures, Celtic crosses, stunning flowers & trees, and the famous O'Connell Round Tower.

A guided tour is the recommended way to get an insight into all the Glasnevin has to offer. Guides are dedicated and knowledgeable, and their passionate storytelling will ensure that you have a fantastic experience on your visit to Glasnevin Cemetary.

Glasnevin Museum

The interactive Museum on site contains award-winning exhibitions including "The City of the Dead" and numerous photographs from the cemetery's history. It is suitable for all ages. You can also search for your family surname in the computer database and possibly learn more about your ancestors.

Dead Interesting Tour

This award winning tour of Glasnevin Cemetery offers a unique overview of the cemetery’s varied sculptures, symbolism and architecture. Learn which sporting heroes rest here, hear about the horticulture and natural life that thrives among the dead, and pass the vault that was pivotal in the Irish War of Independence.

General History Tour

Let your guide regale the tales of colorful souls who shaped Irish history. Ulster Covenant, The First World War, The Easter Rising and The War of Independence will all be unearthed and dissected via enjoyable historical anecdotes. Plus, see the graves of Irish heroes including Eamon DeValera, Michael Collins, Countess Markievicz and more.

The O'Connell Tower

The O'Connell Tower in Glasnevin Cemetery is one of the most iconic round towers in Ireland, and one which offers breath-taking panoramic views of Dublin. The tower can now be explored despite being destroyed by a bomb in 1971 - after a lengthly restoration project. It is Ireland’s tallest round tower and stands at 180 feet. Built in 1854, it is the tombstone of the great liberator, Daniel O’Connell, who lies in an ornately decorated family crypt at the base of the tower.

Glasnevin Cemetery Museum Tickets

There are many ticket options available for Glasnevin Tickets - including museum / tower / and cemetery tour combination tickets. For full ticket details, please visit the Glasnevin Cemetery Museum website.

Getting to Glasnevin Cemetary Museum

Glasnevin Cemetery is located close the the stunning National Botanic Gardens . Croke Park Museum and Stadium Tour  is closeby also.

From O'Connell Street, you can take the the 4,9,40,83 or 140 to Glasnevin Cemetery Museum. Visit dublinbus.ie for full details, and to plan your journey.

There is a DART station in Drumcondra which is a 20 minute walk from Glasnevin Cemetery. Visit Irish Rail for details.

It's a great idea to cycle to Glasnevin, and you'll get there quicker than some other modes. There is plenty of space to securely park your bike at Glasneving.

There are fascinating walking trails to follow if you plan on walking from Dublin City. Visit Glasnevin Museum's website for full information.

How to be a Glasnevin Cemetery tour guide

The job’s yours with knowledge, passion and an ability to make people laugh and cry.

Eoin Butler: on a mission to inform, entertain and amuse. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill

In One Million Dubliners , Aoife Kelleher's acclaimed documentary from last year, Glasnevin Cemetery 's resident historian, Shane Mac Thomáis, lays out his formula for conducting a successful tour of the place. Tell visitors something they already know, the late tour guide recommended. Tell them something they don't know. Say something that will make them laugh and something that will make them cry.

If you ever fancied taking him up on that advice, now is the moment. With the centenaries of the 1916 Rising, the 1918 general election, the War of Independence and the Anglo-Irish Treaty all looming, the number of visitors to the cemetery is surging, and management are hiring four new full-time guides.

According to Mac Thomáis’s successor Conor Dodd, a third-level qualification in history isn’t strictly necessary for prospective candidates. “Obviously, some historical knowledge is necessary. But what’s really essential is to have an interest in, and a passion for, the cemetery.”

The site covers 124 acres and is home to 1.5 million graves. Some stops are more or less obligatory. No recreational visit would be complete, for example, without seeing Daniel O'Connell's tomb, the cholera pit where Charles Stuart Parnell was laid to rest, or the grave of Michael Collins.

“Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t leave flowers on his grave,” says Dodd. “Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries . . . One hundred years from now people will still be coming to see him.”

For Dodd the most important quality a tour guide must have is an ability to improvise. “There’s no point in bringing a tour group out and just talking at them for an hour and a half. You’d lose their interest in about five minutes.”

Guides must tailor their content to the interests of the group. “If they’re music fans you mention Luke Kelly and [the opera singer] Margaret Burke Sheridan. If they ask about literature you talk about Christy Brown and Brendan Behan.”

Information and entertainment are of equal importance, says Dodd. But historical truth can be difficult to pin down. As we walk he points out the grave of a man whose epitaph says he fought at the Battle of Trafalgar. In fact the record shows that he did no such thing.

“If someone asks a question you need that depth of knowledge to be able to respond. That’s why it takes time to train new guides in here.”

At the museum a tour guide named Bridget Sheerin is attempting to train a group of transition-year girls on work experience from St Louis High School, in Rathmines in south Dublin, as tour guides. Sheerin emphasises content, body language, hooks – anecdotes, jokes or surprises – and projection.

Students tend to have good content, she says, but sometimes fall short in projecting their voices clearly and confidently. Each girl has been asked to choose a grave and deliver a short monologue about the person buried there.

Lauren has chosen Collins. Her research is excellent, but, two metres away, I can’t always quite make out what she’s saying.

Saoirse talks about the life of Grace Gifford. She’s concise and to the point.

Sorcha talks about Elizabeth O’Farrell, the woman who carried a white flag “of surrender but not defeat” at the end of Easter Week.

Theodora's presentation on Margaret Skinnider, a female sniper during the Easter Rising, is excellent. As is Princess's tribute to Countess Markievicz. Although if Markievicz really did spend the Rising running a soup kitchen with James Connolly, that's definitely news to me. (Princess may have meant the 1913 lockout.)

After lunch Sheerin invites me to speak in front of the paid-for tour group arriving at 2.30pm. The students had three weeks to prepare. I have less than 30 minutes.

I have an idea who I’d like to talk about, but I’m not even certain that he’s buried in the cemetery. I check the records and confirm the location of his grave.

The tour group is a mix of tourists and Irish people. One couple, from Castlerea, in Co Roscommon, tell me they're on their way home from holidays. They saw One Million Dubliners on the plane and decided to stop in on their way from the airport.

I lead the group to the grave of Ernie O’Malley, the Mayo-born medical student turned IRA commander, memoirist and intellectual.

Sheerin gives me a much more effusive introduction than I would have liked, telling the audience that I’m writing a piece about tour guiding for the newspaper, and promising that I will inform, entertain and amuse them.

Actually, I’ve hastily cobbled most of what I’m about to say from Wikipedia, where jokes are at a premium. I ad-lib along the lines that, as a Mayo man and a rebel, O’Malley was likely descended from Grace O’Malley, the pirate queen, who was a thorn in the side of Elizabeth I.

I have no idea if he was or wasn’t. But as information it seems at least as reliable as saying that Connolly and Countess Markievicz spent Easter Week making sandwiches.

As per Sheerin’s instructions I divide the group in three – left, right and centre – and direct my attention to each section in turn.

In terms of keeping the audience’s attention it certainly doesn’t hurt that O’Malley tended to find himself engaged in epic gun battles on a near-daily basis.

I’m a little nervous, which is to be expected. What’s more surprising is how emotional I begin to feel speaking about O’Malley. A man who could have had a comfortable life as a GP but who chose instead, like so many others buried here, one of service and hardship. A man who faced danger without flinching, who endured torture but never gave up his friends, just so that ordinary gobshites like me might have a fairer shake of a life.

Remembering him here, even if it’s only for a few minutes, even if there are only 20 or so gathered at his graveside, is a moving experience.

I conclude by inviting questions. Only one hand is raised: “When is this going to be in the paper?”

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Daily Guided Tours

(Updated January 2022)

Tours take place daily Booking essential. 

Join our one of our popular guided tours and discover the most iconic, helpful, and quirky plants of our collections. Our experienced guides will also tell you about the fascinating history and international significance of the National Botanic Gardens. 

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This place serves as a centre for horticultural research and training, including the breeding of many prized orchids. Entrance is free and it’s really really nice when you go in the right season and you can see the flowers. I did go off season as well and it’s very good. I’ve been there a couple of times and now just writing about it makes me want to go again!

I always loved Botanic Gardens in Dublin, but the new addition of “Sculpture in Context” elevates the experience even further. It’s like a game of hide and seek, where you keep on discovering new sculptures behind every corner, hidden amongst the trees or in the stream. Gardens are definitely worth visiting if you’re in Dublin and they are beautiful in every season. If it rains, beautiful greenhouses are there to offer protection. Facilities are also good with a nice cafe to sit in and enjoy a cup of tea after all your art and nature explorations. Bonus points if you find the rag (fairy) tree.

Definitely do a tour! Spent a Saturday morning here on my own and wisely booked a guided tour. The guide was super informative, and tailored the tour to the things we might find most interesting and in order to get the best out of the fine weather we were lucky to have that day. Tip: booking a tour is the only way you can get inside the replica Viking house, which was super fun for the kids (and adults, lets be real).

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Parents, staff spar with Washington Township School Board officials over budget cuts

Washington Township Public Schools and dozens of other school systems across New Jersey are currently facing a financial storm.

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Parents and staff expressed their displeasure at an hours-long board meeting Monday night over cuts made in the Washington Township Public Schools' budget for the 2024-2025 school year.

The Gloucester County school board said the district was facing a roughly $7 million budget shortfall for the next school year, which required the board to make some tough decisions.

That included the elimination of more than 100 jobs district-wide.

Officials say they cut 36 certified staff and teaching positions, 55 support staff, four administrators, five administrative assistants, and 12 support staff were reduced to part-time positions.

At the school board meeting, Dr. Eric Hibbs explained to dozens of people in attendance that the board tried everything that it could to not eliminate staff.

He added that the board looked at eliminating line items across all categories, but even that wasn't enough to balance the budget.

"There was truthfully no way that we could've not looked at some form of staff in these reductions," said Hibbs.

Washington Township Public Schools and dozens of other school systems across New Jersey are currently facing a financial storm brought on, in part, by the loss of COVID relief funding and, in some cases, reduced state funding.

Governor Phil Murphy has proposed record spending for public education in his 2025 fiscal year budget. Despite that, more than 130 schools across the state are set to lose money based on the state's funding formula.

The formula assesses, among other things, property values to determine how much a locality can contribute to education funding and enrollment.

Washington Township Public Schools is set to receive more than $1.5 million in additional funding next school year compared to this year.

However, the district said that money only prevented it from having to make more cuts. It still had to account for increased salary obligations, benefits, tuition, and transportation costs.

Parents like Lauren Longo, who is a school teacher, said the cuts have her concerned about her special needs son's education.

With fewer supporting staff, she said she was worried her son wouldn't get the attention he requires in the classroom.

"All children have different needs," said Longo. "All children need to be supported whether they're identified or not and it's just sad to pull anything from children."

Angela Terruso, president of the Washington Township Supportive Staff Services Personnel Association, said the board needed to look harder at alternative options.

"We have a lot of administrative costs. There's a lot of other places they could look," said Terruso. "To panic an entire district of 200-plus assistants that work with special needs children, that's just not the way to do it."

The board has until May 14 to adopt a budget to be submitted to the state.

It said it hoped to hire back some of its support staff based on the needs of students, but it's unclear when that might happen.

Related Topics

• GLOUCESTER COUNTY
• SCHOOL LAYOFFS
• BUDGET CUTS

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David Sanborn, Saxophonist Who Defied Pigeonholing, Dies at 78

He was best known as a jazz musician, but his shimmering sound was also heard on classic albums by David Bowie, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen.

By Alex Williams

David Sanborn, whose fiery alto saxophone flourishes earned him six Grammy Awards, eight gold albums and a platinum one, and who established himself as a celebrity sideman, lending indelible solos to enduring rock classics like David Bowie’s “Young Americans,” died on Sunday in Tarrytown, N.Y. He was 78.

He died after long being treated for prostate cancer, according to a statement on his social media channels. He had received the diagnosis in 2018 but had maintained his regular schedule of concerts until recently, with more planned for next year.

Drawing from jazz, pop and R&B, Mr. Sanborn was highly prolific, releasing 25 albums over a six-decade career. “Hideaway” (1980), his fifth studio album, featured two instrumentals written with the singer Michael McDonald as well as “The Seduction,” written by Giorgio Moroder, which was the love theme from “American Gigolo,” the ice-cool Paul Schrader film starring Richard Gere.

“Many releases by studio musicians suffer from weak compositions and overproduction, including some albums by Sanborn himself,” Tim Griggs wrote in a review of that album on the website Allmusic. In contrast, he continued, “Hideaway” had a “stripped-down, funky” quality that showed off his “passionate and distinctive saxophone sound.”

Mr. Sanborn’s albums “Hearsay” (1994), “Pearls” (1995) and “Time Again” (2003) all reached No. 2 on the Billboard jazz chart.

While the records he made under his own name were often pigeonholed as smooth jazz, Mr. Sanborn chafed at the description. So did many of his fellow saxophonists, who found his tone and approach anything but mellow.

“The ‘Sanborn’ sound is more of an extreme sound tone wise,” the saxophonist and educator Steve Neff wrote on his blog in 2012. “It is very raw, bright, edgy and tough sounding. It’s right in your face.”

“What Michael Brecker did for the tenor sound, Sanborn did for the alto sound. It’s not a middle of the road type of sound,” Mr. Neff added. Mr. Brecker and his trumpeter brother, Randy, often collaborated with Mr. Sanborn.

Mr. Sanborn had little use for labels. “I’m not so interested in what is or isn’t jazz,” he said in a 2017 interview with DownBeat, the jazz magazine. “The guardians of the gate can be quite combative, but what are they protecting? Jazz has always absorbed and transformed what’s around it.”

“Real musicians,” he added, “don’t have any time to spend thinking about limited categories.”

While growing up in suburban St. Louis, Mr. Sanborn was influenced by the sound of blues in Chicago, and by 14 he was playing with Albert King and Little Milton . “I guess if push comes to shove, I would describe myself as coming out of the blues-R&B side of the spectrum,” he said in a 2008 interview with NPR. “But I mean, if you play the saxophone, you certainly can’t escape the influence of jazz.”

Among the jazz musicians with whom Mr. Sanborn recorded were the guitarists George Benson, Mike Stern and John Scofield, the bassist Ron Carter, and the arrangers and bandleaders Gil Evans and Bob James.

And his influence was hardly confined to recording. From 1988 to 1990, he hosted the television show “Night Music” (originally called “Sunday Night”), which presented an eclectic mix of music; its lineups featured jazz luminaries like Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Pharoah Sanders as well as the likes of James Taylor, Leonard Cohen and Sonic Youth.

Starting in the 1980s, he also hosted a syndicated radio program, “The Jazz Show With David Sanborn.” He had recently begun producing the podcast “As We Speak,” which offered conversations with artists, including Pat Metheny and Mr. Rollins.

A onetime member of the “Saturday Night Live” band, Mr. Sanborn recorded or toured with a constellation of stars, among them Paul Simon, James Brown, Elton John, Steely Dan, Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones.

“Anyone with a record collection more than a foot wide probably owns a piece of David Sanborn’s unmistakable sound but doesn’t know it,” The Phoenix New Times, an Arizona newspaper, observed in 1991 in an article about him.

Mr. Sanborn was heard on landmark albums like the Eagles’ debut and Stevie Wonder’s “Talking Book” in 1972 and Bruce Springsteen’s 1975 smash “Born to Run.”

He had a memorable star turn on Mr. Bowie’s album “Young Americans” (1975), on which his sunny yet sultry solo opens the memorable title track . “There was no lead guitar, so I played the role of lead guitar,” he told DownBeat. “I was all over that record.”

He also joined Mr. Bowie’s tour for the album, part of a crack supporting outfit that also included Doug Rauch on bass and Greg Errico on drums. “On the ‘Young Americans’ tour,” he recalled, “Bowie would sometimes let the band play for 20 minutes before he came on.”

David William Sanborn was born on July 30, 1945, in Tampa, Fla., where his father was stationed in the Air Force. He grew up in Kirkwood, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis.

His life took a fateful turn at age 3 when he contracted polio, which ravaged his left arm, right leg and lungs.

He was in an iron lung for a year, and he took up saxophone at 11 on the advice of a doctor, who thought learning a woodwind instrument would help him build respiratory strength.

The disease had lasting effects, some of them particularly challenging for a horn player. As an adult, Mr. Sanborn still suffered limited lung capacity, and his left arm was smaller than his right, with compromised dexterity on that hand.

“I don’t think of myself as a victim,” he was quoted as saying in 2005 by the Salt Lake City television station KSL. “This is my reality.”

After studying music at Northwestern University and with the saxophonist J.R. Monterose at the University of Iowa, he headed to California and joined the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He was 24 when the band played before hundreds of thousands at the Woodstock festival in August 1969.

Mr. Sanborn went on to tour with Stevie Wonder in 1972 and released his first solo album, “Taking Off,” in 1975. He earned his first Grammy , for best R&B instrumental performance, for “All I Need Is You,” a track on his 1981 album, “Voyeur.”

His 2008 album, “Here & Gone,” with guest appearances by Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks and Joss Stone, was a tribute to Ray Charles and his arranger and saxophonist Hank Crawford, who was a major influence on Mr. Sanborn’s playing.

“That music was everything to me,” he told NPR. “It kind of combined jazz, gospel, and rhythm and blues. It wasn’t any one of those things, but it was all of them kind of mixed together. And that, to me, is kind of the essence of American music.”

He is survived by his wife, Alice Soyer Sanborn, a pianist, vocalist and composer; his son, Jonathan; two granddaughters; and his sisters, Sallie and Barb Sanborn.

Mr. Sanborn continued to tour into his 70s. With all the changes in the music business, he found, touring was a better way to make a living than recording.

“You make a fraction of what you used to make,” he said in a 2017 interview with The Tampa Bay Times. “There’s not a lot of options.”

He found life on the road increasingly taxing, but performing live remained a passion. Despite plans to cut back to about 150 gigs a year from 200, he nevertheless embarked on tour in 2017 that reached Istanbul and Nairobi.

“I still want to play,” he said, “and if you want to play for an audience, you’ve got to go where the audience is.”

Sofia Poznansky contributed reporting.

Alex Williams is a Times reporter on the Obituaries desk. More about Alex Williams

Study Shows Alarming Rise in Heart Failure Deaths, Especially Among Younger Adults

After decades of decline, heart failure mortality is climbing, with a dramatic rise in heart failure deaths among younger adults. 

The number of people dying from heart failure in the United States went down steadily from 1999 to 2009. However, progress made in treating heart failure began unraveling from 2009 to 2012 when heart failure-related mortality rates plateaued, according to a study led by Duke University School of Medicine.  

From 2012 onwards, heart failure mortality rates have been increasing. 

Marat Fudim, MD, an associate professor in the Duke Department of Medicine and lead author of the study published April 24 in JAMA Cardiology , points to widespread obesity and rising rates of diabetes and hypertension putting more people at risk for heart failure. Yet, the high cost of new heart medicines and difficulty accessing health care may be hindering effective heart failure treatment.  

“The gains made from 1999 to 2012 have been entirely undone by reversals from 2012 to 2021, meaning that contemporary heart failure mortality rates are higher than in 1999,” said Fudim, who treats patients with heart failure at Duke Health .

A surge in heart failure deaths in 2020 and 2021 masks a longer-term trend as “the origins of the reversals preceded the COVID-19 pandemic,” Fudim said. “Disruptions in health care caused by COVID-19 added fuel to a smoldering fire and heart failure mortality rates accelerated dramatically.”  

Researchers developed the cohort analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiological Research .

The CDC data is based on information from death certificates and study authors acknowledge that relying on death records has limitations. Death certificates might not always accurately identify the cause of death, especially when symptoms of heart failure are similar to those of other conditions like COVID-19. 

Still, the government data revealed reversals in the decline of heart failure mortality as improving trends started to worsen. 

In 2012, the heart failure-related mortality rate of about 82 deaths per 100,000 people started going up, reaching 106 per 100,000 by 2021. This spike hasn’t been seen since 1999 when the heart failure-related mortality rate stood at 105 per 100,000 people. 

Reversals affected various groups differently. According to the study’s results, the greatest increases in mortality were seen in adults under age 45 (906.3%), adults aged 45-64 (384.7%), men (119%), African-Americans (166%), and rural residents (92%). Parts of the U.S. with the largest jumps in heart failure were the South (118%) and Midwest (115%).

Although heart failure is typically linked to old age and damage to the heart over time, the study suggests young adults are encountering heart failure.  

It’s a trend that Fudim and other experts in cardiovascular medicine believe could be connected to the repercussions of childhood obesity catching up to millennials and Gen Z.

Combating Heart Disease 

While there's no cure for heart failure, medications can ease common symptoms of fatigue, shortness of breath, and swelling.

To help the heart pump more efficiently, doctors may prescribe patients a combination of medicines from four main classes of drugs that include beta blockers and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors . However, patients may struggle to access newer therapies due to substantial co-pays or inadequate prescriptions from physicians .

For severe cases of heart failure, heart valve surgery or implantable cardioverter defibrillators might be necessary. 

Addressing the resurgence in heart failure deaths doesn’t solely depend on treatment, Fudim said.

Curbing heart failure mortality includes educating the public about heart disease prevention, diagnosing heart failure earlier, and offering remote care to the millions of rural Americans who live hours away from a hospital or heart doctor.  

“By focusing on these areas, we could enable better management to help people live longer and with a better quality of life,” Fudim said. 

Additional authors include Ahmed Sayed, MBBS; Dimitry Abramov, MD; Gregg C. Fonarow, MD; Mamas A. Mamas, MD, PhD; Ofer Kobo, MD; and Javed Butler, MD, MPH.  

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Taylor swift appears to have a hickey in sweden, after travis kelce getaway, taylor swift sporting mark on her collarbone ... it's sooo hickey.

Turns out Travis Kelce IS with Taylor Swift in Sweden ... symbolically, anyway, because the singer's flaunting what looks a lot like a hickey on her neck. Can they get any more high school?!

Several fans at her shows in Stockholm noticed the love mark while Taylor was seated at the piano and performing her "Evermore" era songs at the Friends Arena.

The big red blotch was pretty obvious as Taylor was wearing a blue dress as she sang, "Champagne Problems." Swifties don't miss a beat, and several posted videos zooming in on their girl's neck.

If it is a hickey, there's not much mystery about how it got there. Tay and Trav spent a few romantic days together in Lake Como , Italy ... right after he caught her final show in Paris .

They were kissing like king and queen of the prom while they took a boat ride into the resort town for a romantic dinner.

Not shockingly, Swifties fired off all the appropriate Taylor lyrics in their hickey commentary -- lines like, "I feel so high school," and "the mark they saw on my collarbone."

Taylor and Travis parted ways in Italy -- as she jetted off to Stockholm to continue the "Eras: tour, and the Chiefs superstar was back in Kansas to host the Kelce Jam concert ... featuring Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz .

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A tale of two schools: Columbus City Schools board highlights potential for consolidation

Columbus City School board members pitched school consolidation during a media tour on Tuesday, highlighting the district's past and what its future could hold under proposals for potential closures.

The media tour came just a week after Columbus City Schools Board of Education heard from the Superintendent's Community Facilities Task Force , which recommended closing as many as 20 of the district's 112 school buildings, The Dispatch previously reported .

On Tuesday, board members presented a tale of two school buildings: Columbus Alternative High School and Downtown Columbus High School. Columbus Alternative High School, one of the district's best-performing magnet schools , was originally an elementary school constructed in the 1920s and expanded in the 1960s. Meanwhile, Columbus Downtown High School, a career prep school, was constructed in 2009.

Board President Christina Vera and board member Brandon Simmons said they wanted to highlight the possibility of Columbus Alternative High School moving to the Downtown High School location, and the career prep students who occupy Downtown High School moving to the Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center.

Vera said she wanted to emphasize that from her perspective, consolidation doesn't mean the district is taking away from students but rather improving their experiences.

"When we think about consolidation, you think you're losing something. But being able to bring a program like CAHS to a facility like (Downtown HS), you're actually going to be able to increase enrollment opportunities," Vera said.

Another proposal put forward by the Facilities Task Force last week calls for the district to merge Columbus Downtown programs and students with Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center. Other proposals also call for Columbus Alternative High School to move to East High School, while closing the current CAHS building at McGuffey Road, The Dispatch previously reported.

More: Which Columbus City schools will close? Board solicits feedback on 20 possible closures

Board Member Brandon Simmons, a graduate of Columbus Alternative High School, said all district students deserve a 21st-century learning experience.

"This task force is not just about the 46,000 students who are in our buildings today," Simmons said. "It's about the 46,000 students who are going to be in our buildings in the future … so we want to realign our resources to really provide all of our students with that experience they really deserve."

During the tour of CAHS, Simmons pointed to outdated classrooms, bathrooms and a stairlift rather than an elevator used to transport disabled students between floors. Later, on the second stop of the tour at Columbus Downtown High School, Vera and Simmons pointed to the modern facilities, high-quality construction and state-of-the-art technology labs there.

While he credits CAHS as a driving factor behind his decision to run for CCS Board of Education, Simmons said he "would have liked to have different facilities."

"I think that's why I'm so called to serve in this moment in time and to partner with my colleagues to help get all of our students here in the district better facilities," Simmons said.

Vera said parent and student feedback is the driving factor behind the board's desire to deliver modern classroom environments to CCS students after voters approved the nearly $100 million levy last November .

"This is what our families told us they wanted; this is what our students told us they wanted," Vera said. "If we think back to just last year, last fall, this is what our families have continued to tell us they want, and this is what we are trying to deliver."

Board expects some opposition from public during engagement process

Vera said the CCS Board of Education expects some opposition to closures when asked by The Dispatch if she thinks the board will see similar negative feedback to 2018, when the board received public backlash on closures and failed to close any schools.

"You have to expect that — because we're talking about change — and sometimes change can be hard, especially in a city that has so many historical roots," Vera said.

The district saw the first rumbling of discontent in the process late last month when Columbus Education Association President John Coneglio quit the task force prior to the release of its proposals, saying the district was focused on mass closures. On Tuesday, Vera said that the teachers union remains the district's partner, and the board hears from teachers every day who are excited to work with them.

"So, at the end of the day, it's bigger than just one individual. It's about the collective, and I believe in that power," Vera said.

District's public engagement sessions begin Thursday

The community engagement phase of the Superintendent’s Community Facilities Task Force process begins Thursday. The district will host community forums for attendees to view and interact with scenario maps and participate in surveys to gather community feedback. Virtual online sessions will also be available.

The times and locations on Thursday are:

• 9:30 a.m.: Shepard Library (850 N. Nelson Road, Rooms 1 and 2)
• 9:30 a.m.: Parsons Library (1113 Parsons Ave., Rooms 2 and 3)
• 5:30 p.m.: Columbus Education Center (270 E. State Street, Assembly Room)
• 5:30 p.m.: Eastmoor Academy High School (417 S. Weyant Ave.)

@Colebehr_report

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Pop artists shows Lexington students how to make art with cardboard

LEXINGTON — Michael Albert has been an artist in residence at Lexington's three elementary schools.

Albert is a pop artist. He makes collages out of images and words printed on cardboard. Cereal boxes are his specialty.

For two days, he made Western, Central and Eastern elementary schools his personal studios as he showed students what he does and helped them create their own art.

The Lexington PTO sponsored Albert's visit, which was coordinated by Mary Haas, art teacher at Eastern Elementary School.

Haas said she has been communicating with Albert for about a year and introduced her students to his work last year.

"He provides resources for teachers in a fun way that we can use in our classrooms," she said.

On Monday morning, the gym/cafeteria at Western Elementary served as the classroom as chattering students made their collages.

First-grader appreciates freedom that art provides

Asked if she likes art, first-grader Reagan Lautamen said, "You bet I do. You can create anything you want."

For her collage, Reagan used letters to spell out her name and found a rainbow to add to the piece. She appreciated the time with Albert.

"He's really cool," Reagan said. "I can't believe we met a real artist."

Josie Hall agreed. Reagan's classmate had never made a collage out of cardboard cut-outs.

"So it was new to me," Josie said. "It was very fun. At my house, I have an art room where I can paint."

Josie used pictures of Apple Jacks to cover much of her cardboard background. She also had a picture of Dino, the "Flintstones'" pet.

"I think they can relate to what they're doing because they see these things all the time," said Ashley Todd, art teacher at both Western and Central elementary schools.

Students and staff at the district's elementary schools have been collecting cardboard material to make sure everyone could participate.

When the session was over, students on loan from the junior high helped collect the scissors and about 100 bottles of Elmer's Glue.

Before heading to Central, Albert planned to have lunch with the junior high kids. He stopped for a quick interview with a reporter.

Lexington first stop for pop artist

Albert described Lexington as the first stop on a 2½-month tour. He made the drive to north central Ohio from his home just outside New York City.

"I'm starting with two weeks of schools, but then school's going to end, so I'm doing a summer reading tour of libraries," Albert said.

He next will head to Tennessee and Missouri. In all, Albert plans to do 85 programs in 12 states.

"This is a good way to kick off the tour," Albert said of Lexington.

The pop artist has been creating since his college days at New York University, where he earned a business degree in 1988. Albert was inspired by the great artwork he saw in New York City's museums.

He felt a kinship with a number of artists.

"Some of my favorite artists were self-taught," Albert said. "They started experimenting, and their art developed."

He noted he has not received any formal training. Albert's art evolved from doodles and pen and ink to serious wax oil drawings and to the cubist mosaic cereal box collages he has made famous.

While he studied business and dabbled in art, Albert also explored music and literature.

"One of the messages I try to tell the kids is no matter what you're learning in school, and no matter what your job ends up being, we all have different interests in different things that have nothing to do with our job or our studies," he said.

Albert realized he could experiment with art and see where it would take him. His first collage was comprised of stickers, labels, junk mail and old photographs.

His work is a form of recycling "rather than tossing them in the trash."

"I doubt if I'm saving the world, but it does make a statement," Albert said.

His first pop art piece involved cutting up a box of Frosted Flakes with the iconic Tony the Tiger, he of the famous slogan "They're g-r-r-r-eat!"

Albert's source materials have evolved to include anything on printed cardboard.

At each stop he makes, the pop artist puts together a piece for that particular place. He used an "L" from a box of Lucky Charms to start the word Lexington.

Albert also used bits from cardboard boxes that had contained Eggo waffles, Trix cereal, Crest toothpaste and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. He always includes his initials.

The possibilities are endless.

"If I did a different form of art, it wouldn't really lend itself to coming to schools like this," Albert said.

Noting he is in his 50s, Albert takes art seriously.

"There's no right or wrong way to interpret it or do it," he said. "Art isn't like that. You do it for yourself and try to do things that are meaningful to you.

"It's the ultimate form of human expression."

[email protected]

419-521-7219

X: @MarkCau32059251