Call for increase in memorial walls to store ashes in Cork cemeteries as more opt for cremation

Cork County Council has been urged to adapt its cemeteries to cater for changing demands

Columbarium walls are designed to hold and memorialise the cremated remains of a deceased person. File picture

Cork County Council has been asked to create more columbarium walls in its cemeteries, as nearly a third of people who die in the region are opting for cremation instead of burial.

The increase in cremations has been noted in recent years, and the local authority has been urged to adapt its cemeteries to cater for changing demands.

Columbarium walls are designed to hold and memorialise the cremated remains of a deceased person.

Fianna Fáil councillor Patrick Donovan told a meeting of the council that more of these memorial walls were required.

“I feel we should be installing them in towns with a high populations. A number of people have reached out to me directly about it. When we’re building new burial grounds we should include them,” he said.

Fianna Fáil councillor Gobnait Moynihan said cremations were more cost-effective than burials and the council needed to address this trend.

She said it was important people had the two options of being buried in a plot or having their ashes placed in urns and stored in columbarium walls.

Fine Gael councillor John Michael Foley, who is a funeral director, said cremations currently stood at 30% and would continue to grow in popularity.

He bemoaned the fact there was only one columbarium wall in the entire West Cork region, in Bantry.

"Some smaller cemetery plots could also be used for a number of burials of ashes and we should look at that option as well,” he said.

Councillor Audrey Buckley said she knew constituents who had urns on mantlepieces and who wanted to put them in columbarium walls.

The council has installed the walled features on a pilot basis at Abbey Burial Ground, Bantry; Goulds Hill Cemetery, Mallow; Kilcrumper New Cemetery, Fermoy; St Joseph’s Cemetery, Little Island; and the Old Church Burial Ground in Cobh.

Assistant chief executive Niall Healy said there were plans to provide columbarium walls in a small number of additional burial grounds in West Cork.

He promised a review would be carried out which would include consideration of the level of demand.

“This review will be carried out with a view to informing the council's future approach to the provision of columbarium walls. It should be noted that the cost of developing columbarium walls can be considerable, and, to that end, consideration should be given in the budgetary process to making the necessary funding provision,” Mr Healy added.