GERMAN WAR CEMETERY Co. WICKLOW IRELAND

German Military Cemetery, Glencree, County Wicklow — a quiet visit to a remarkable and moving place in the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains. There is no spoken narration in this video. I chose to remain silent while visiting the cemetery, out of respect for those buried here. Instead, the video allows the landscape, waterfall, footsteps and natural sounds of Glencree to tell part of the story. At the end of the video you'll find further information about the cemetery and its history, together with maps, useful links, sources and QR codes for anyone who would like to explore the subject further. 📍 German Military Cemetery Glencree, County Wicklow, Ireland The cemetery contains the graves of German military personnel and civilians who died in Ireland during the First and Second World Wars. Its history connects with Ireland's wartime neutrality, German personnel who came to Ireland, Operation Shamrock and the wider story of reconciliation at Glencree. THE GERMAN MILITARY CEMETERY — GLENCREE Opened in 1961, this is Ireland’s only German military cemetery. 134 German war dead are buried here: 6 from the First World War 128 from the Second World War The graves were brought together from more than 100 locations in 15 Irish counties. WHO IS BURIED HERE? Many of those buried here were Luftwaffe airmen whose aircraft crashed in or around Ireland. Others were German naval personnel, whose bodies were recovered from Ireland's coastline after ships were lost during the war. Some remain unidentified. THE ARANDORA STAR Among those buried at Glencree are 46 German civilians who died when the Arandora Star was torpedoed by the German submarine U-47 in July 1940. Their bodies were recovered from the Irish coast and initially buried in different locations before being transferred to Glencree. HERMANN GÖRTZ Dr Hermann Görtz was a German intelligence agent who had lived in Ireland before the war. After the war he became involved in helping German children in Ireland. Fearing possible arrest and extradition, he took his own life in 1947. He was originally buried in Dublin and was transferred to Glencree in 1974. His grave has its own memorial. THE FIRST WORLD WAR Six men buried here died during the First World War while held as German prisoners of war in Ireland between 1915 and 1918. A PLACE OF REMEMBRANCE The cemetery was created in a former quarry between 1959 and 1961. The Irish Government provided the land and agreed to protect the cemetery, while the German War Graves Commission developed the site. Today it remains a place of remembrance for those who died in war — regardless of which side they fought on. FROM WAR TO PEACE Only a short distance from the cemetery stands the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation. The two sites tell an extraordinary story: War. Loss. Reconciliation. Peace. This is not intended as a political or military statement. It is simply a respectful visit to a significant historical site and an opportunity to remember the people connected with it. WILD GRANDAD History • Walks • Camping • Nature If you enjoy exploring Ireland's history, hidden places, walks, camping, wildlife and the stories behind the places we visit, consider subscribing to Wild Grandad. 👍 If you found the video interesting, a like helps the channel enormously. 💬 Have you visited Glencree or the German Military Cemetery? Let me know in the comments. 🔔 Subscribe for more from Wild Grandad. #GermanMilitaryCemetery #Glencree #CountyWicklow #Wicklow #IrishHistory #WildGrandad