Cost of village cemetery plots falls as house prices soar
Plots in the local cemetery cost €762. But from today on, the price per plot will drop to €500 under new proposals by Limerick County Council.
However, someone not resident in Co Limerick who wants a burial plot in Adare will have to pay €1,000.
Up until this decision, Adare and the cemetery in Mungret had the most expensive plots in the county at €762 and €635 per plot respectively.
The Muslim community in Limerick was refused permission to buy a section of the new cemetery in Mungret to enable them to bury their dead according to the tradition, facing Mecca.
Graves in Mungret face north/south and the council said this layout will remain.
In its new Burial Ground Strategy, the council wants to encourage voluntary cemetery committees to take responsibility for maintenance and upkeep.
A council spokesperson said: “We are increasing the maintenance grant to community groups from €254 to €350 per location. A capital grant of up to €25,000 will be available to community groups who develop, manage and maintain new burial ground facilities in their parishes.”
Cllr Niall Collins has welcomed the move.
“The amount of funding provided in the annual budget for the burial ground programme has remained static for the past three years, and in real terms, there has been a decline in resources available. The demand, meanwhile, has increased substantially, due to increased wages, care-taking and ordinary maintenance improvements,” he said.