*Cllr Pat O’Gorman (inset) called for a wall between the old and new sections of Cillín burial ground on the Cratloe Road to be reinstated.
SHANNON councillors have called for a wall between the old and new sections of Cillín burial ground on the Cratloe Road to be reinstated.
Cllr Pat O’Gorman (FF) tabled a motion at the September meeting of the Shannon Municipal District, asking that the wall between the newer and older sections of the burial ground be rebuilt.
In a written reply, Leonore O’Neill, Senior Executive Officer with Rural and Community Development, said the wall had been inspected and was “generally considered to be structurally sound”.
She said the majority of the deterioration observed arose from “spoil, rubble and other materials being placed on or against the wall during grave excavation and monument installation works, rather than being removed from the site appropriately”.
“These issues are likely to recur unless appropriate site management and disposal practices are consistently adhered to,” Ms O’Neill said.
She said the matter would continue to be monitored and those carrying out works within the burial ground would be reminded of their responsibilities.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr O’Gorman said he agreed that the structure was sound but said there were two places where the wall had been knocked and he wanted it reinstated.
He said he did not believe the written reply answered his question and said he was not happy with it.
Cllr John Crowe (FG) supported the motion, saying that four or five years ago, a large amount of rubble had been removed following the digging of graves, while new paths were put in and the walls cleaned.
He said the wall subsequently fell and had now been down for a couple of years, despite a number of requests for it to be repaired.
Cllr Crowe said the wall separates the small old graveyard from the new graveyard and described its current condition as an “eyesore”.
“It’s looking at you straight in the face and it looks very bad,” he said.
He said he could not support the motion enough, adding that it was “not a massive job” and would finish off the whole area.
Concluding, Cllr O’Gorman asked that the entire municipal district make a request for the wall to be reinstated.
He said people wanted to visit their loved ones and see the wall restored properly.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
