Fund needed to address 'dilapidation' of local cemeteries

A motion calling on the Taoiseach and Minister Heather Humphreys to immediately establish a national fund to address “serious issues of dilapidation” in local cemeteries got the unanimous backing of members of Roscommon County Council on Monday.

Making the case for a dedicated fund to look after graveyards, Independent Cllr Donal Kilduff stressed that it's necessary to specifically address the deterioration of pavements, boundary walls, overgrown trees in cemeteries, along with other similar capital works.

“There are unfortunately serious issues of dilapidation with some of our county's cemeteries and indeed with cemeteries all over the country. Many of the cemeteries in our county need serious capital works projects carried out to restore their condition to what they should be,” he told Monday's meeting.

He went on to spell out in his motion, which received the full support of his colleagues, that this fund is needed in the interest of health and safety, to stimulate local economies, to ensure a pride of place in these sacred public spaces, but most importantly, in deference to the memory of deceased loved ones throughout the county.

Roscommon County Council has a limited annual budget for the care of cemeteries in the county and this is just enough to cover basic maintenance and grant assist local voluntary groups to maintain these sacred public spaces, he pointed out.

Local voluntary groups despite their wonderful, selfless work are often constrained in what they can do due to scale of works, health and safety legislation and public liability issues, Cllr Kilduff added, setting out the reasons behind his call to Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister Heather Humphreys, the Minister for Rural and Community Development to intervene.

“In pursuit of a solution to this, I learned that there is in fact no national fund for local authorities to apply to for capital works projects in cemeteries. This of course is completely unacceptable.

“Overgrown trees, falling walls and displaced pavements are all a health and safety hazard in a public space and it also reflects very badly on us as a people that we would allow the final resting places of our deceased loved ones to fall into disrepair.

“Earlier this year I had a recently bereaved family highlight yet again the unacceptable condition of the boundary walls at the cemetery in Kiltoom and there is a similar story at Taughboy and other cemeteries throughout the county,” he complained.

His motion was subsequently passed unanimously and will be circulated to other local authorities nationwide seeking support.