Celebrity Graveland

November 30, 1667 – October 19, 1745

Author, satirist and all-around political rabble-rouser, Jonathan Swift, is most widely known for his creation: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts, by Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships…which is colloquially and mercifully shortened as: Gulliver’s Travels. Born in Ireland, Swift received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Trinity College in Dublin. He spent a lot of time in England involving himself in the rise and fall of the Tory government in the early 18th Century. He wrote some of his most scathing satire during this period and eventually ticked off Queen Anne enough that he was effectively “banished” back to Ireland, where friends were able to get him appointed as the Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It was back in Ireland where he wrote many of his most famous works including Gulliver’s and A Modest Proposal. After the death of his long-time friend (and secret wife?) Esther Johnson, Swift’s writings became decidedly death-focused. He grew irritable and began to show signs of what we now know as Alzheimer’s disease toward the end of his life. At the age of 79, the celebrated Dean of St. Patrick’s died and was buried beneath its floor.

Burial

St. Patrick’s Cathedral – Dublin, IRELAND

Specific Location

Toward the southwestern corner of the nave of the cathedral. His grave is well marked and is included on the visitor guide map.

This entry was posted on July 10, 2018 at 8:40 am and is filed under St. Patrick's Cathedral (Ireland) with tags St. Patrick's Cathedral, Writers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.