Council urged to address lack of cemetery space

If you’re “on the way out” it might be prudent to check the availability of ever-decreasing grave spaces in West Cork. And, if not, it could be a good idea to invest in a “pay now and use later” scheme.

Cork County Council officials have identified the need to address the lack of spaces in cemeteries in a number of villages and towns in the region.

While there is bound to be a furore about their plans to centralise burial plots in larger population areas, in the short term there is also a need to address what spaces are left in many rural graveyards.

According to officials, immediate action is needed in Eyeries and Glengarriff to provide locals with plots.

About €100,000 will be required to develop an extra 370 plots at Eyeries.

Cllr Jerry O’Sullivan (FG), from Eyeries, proposed the authority pre-sell plots to fund the project. He suggested that if the county council sold 40% of the plots it could make the €100,000 needed to kickstart the development.

Meanwhile, things are getting to a critical point in Glengarriff as two potential sites identified by engineers have been deemed unsuitable due to rock difficulties and poor drainage. A third site is now being examined.

The cemeteries at Castlehaven and Coronea, both in the Skibbereen district, along with Kilfaughnabeg in Glandore, will have to be expanded or replaced by 2015.

Cllr Chris Christopher O’Sullivan (FF) said he was concerned the cemetery at Castlehaven would run out of plots before 2015.

Meanwhile, officials said there would have to be action taken in Schull and Goleen by 2017 to ensure those communities had enough graves spaces to cope with an “expected demand”.

Council officials reached a conclusion by determining the average number of plots sold each year, in each graveyard, to access the longevity of the facility.