To steal from a grave is not just theft – it’s an act of utter depravity
Sallyanne Clarke’s FOOD FOR THOUGHT
IWOULD like to say an enormous thank you to everyone for their wonderful messages of support through emails, texts and phone calls following my column last week about the theft of flower boxes from Andrew’s grave.
I was very upset at first, and then I was angry, hence my decision to write about it. I never realised how much of a problem graveyard theft actually is.
I spoke with Neil Prenderville on Red FM in Cork and Niall Boylan from Classic Hits and judging from their listeners’ reactions it seems to be a common practice.
It’s just so disrespectful to the memory of our loved ones. We heard stories from people who had themselves been robbed while visiting cemeteries. Cars broken into, handbags snatched while praying or tending to plants — what is this country coming to?
Despite what happened recently, we are lucky that Andrew is buried at Mount Jerome. They have security on the perimeter walls and someone on the gate every single day watching over both the living and the dead.
The same can’t be said for Bluebell Cemetery in Inchicore, Dublin 8. Some weeks ago many of its tombstones and graves were desecrated and the vandals left the place in a dreadful condition.
They didn’t just steal, they wreaked havoc and destruction on this holy ground. It is truly shocking that this happens.
They had a Mass last Thursday to bless the graves and give some solace to those with relations resting there. However, not one politician, or counsellor attended. They were invited to see the destruction first-hand and hopefully put some safeguards in place to ensure that this would not happen ever again.
But thankfully there’s still lots of love out there. A lovely lady called Joan dropped a memory stone into the restaurant for me with Andrew’s name on it. It reminded me that it’s only a tiny percentage of people who cause trouble in the world. It is beautiful and has helped to restore my faith in human nature. Thank you so very much Joan.
Now, we all know that women are from Venus and men are from Mars, right? Well, that’s certainly the case when it comes to mental health, and how we go about looking after it.
Women are more likely to be more involved in their communities and maintain their hobbies and friendships as they get older, sharing and talking about their problems when they arise.
Men are not so good at this as they age, and tend to retreat to their ‘man caves’ in times of stress. Recognising this is one of the best iniatives to help curb isolation and depression in men — the Men’s Sheds movement.
Barry Golding was the original founder of the organisation in Australia in 2007, and since then it has become a global phenomenon. Members meet and work together on various activities such as woodwork and crafts. There are now 400 sheds all over Ireland alone — we have the highest number of Men’s Sheds per head of population — and today, the Irish Men’s Sheds Association is bringing 500 of its members from across the globe to Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork, for the largest gathering in the world.
The theme is Connecting Communities and the aim is to reinforce the importance of Men’s Sheds to towns and villages throughout the country. On the week that began with National Suicide Prevention Day, it’s a most timely call to action indeed.