[4][5] In 1821, G. N. Wright wrote of a custom to "deck the graves with garlands and ornaments, made of white paper, disposed into very extraordinary forms".
[6] By 1828, Nicholas Carlisle characterized St. James cemetery decoration as a custom that was already old: It was, and perhaps is still, the custom in Dublin on St. James’s day, for the relatives and friends of those who are buried in St. James’s church-yard, to dress up the Graves with flowers, cut paper, Scripture phrases, garlands, chaplets, and a number of other pretty and pious devices, where those affectionate mementos remained, until they were displaced by fresh ones the next year.
This may also include removing overgrown plants and debris from the cemetery and other general maintenance to the grounds.
Homemade crepe paper flowers were also common in early St. James cemetery decoration.
[2] Relatives of the deceased often choose Cemetery Sundays to return home for visits and reunions after moving away.