‘Wallswould solve Kerry’s grave crisis’

KERRY’S graveyards could one day include memorial walls constructed for the storage of ashes of the deceased after a motion was tabled by Cllr Patrick O’Connor-Scarteen at the monthly meeting of Kerry County Council.

Known as ‘Columbarium Walls’, Cllr O’Connor-Scarteen said specially constructed walls would reflect the cosmopolitan demographic of Kerry, while giving people the option of storing the ashes of loved ones in cinerary urns. Such structures would also help address the lack of space currently a problem in some graveyards.

“A memorial wall for storing ashes is an option,” he said.

“You have growing cosmopolitan areas in parts of Kerry. There’s many English, Dutch, German and Polish people, countries where cremation is popular. Take, for example, a Polish person living here where a loved one dies and their intention is to one day move back to Poland. They could store the ashes in a memorial wall,” he added.

Kerry County Council management said it would consider constructing memorial walls for all future graveyards in the county but Cllr O’Connor-Scarteen rejected this, calling for them to be built in existing burial grounds.

“Obviously, I’m not asking for one in every graveyard in the county but initially it should be rolled out in the bigger towns and see how it goes. Thankfully, the council have said they will now consider this.”

The Kenmare councillor added that memorial walls would be a practical and responsible solution and are cost-effective for local authorities and families.

“They’re not big imposing structures and I know they’re not a solution for everyone as people still prefer the traditional burial. But there’s more people now choosing cremation. I spoke with a funeral director recently who said in Dublin there’s now a 50 per cent cremation rate. It’s definitely becoming more popular.”

Meanwhile, a new crematorium is currently under consideration at a site in Dromcummer Beg in North Cork which would cover parts of the Kerry region. The application is with Cork County Council.

There are five crematoriums in Ireland with one in Cork city.