ANGELS PLOT ‘A JUNGLE’
Plea made to clean up area at St Peter’s cemetery
SHOCK and sadness has been expressed this week at the sight of the Holy Angels plot in St Peter’s cemetery ‘overgrown and riddled with weeds’.
Tiny headstones are barely visible over the unkempt grass and dandelions on the land, which is owned by the HSE and reserved for stillborn or miscarried babies from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.
A local man who attended a funeral in the graveyard last week said he was not alone in feeling sadness that the plot was in such a bad state.
‘I really couldn’t believe the place where these little angels are laid to rest could barely be seen because of tall grass and dandelions,’ he told the Drogheda Independent. ‘It was like an absolute jungle and it was made worse because the rest of the graveyard was so neat and tidy.’
A spokesman for St Peter’s Parish, which in recent years has taken on responsibility for clearing weeds and rubbish from the graveyard, says their hands have been tied for insurance reasons in recent months, causing great frustration.
‘We are very aware of the work that needs to be done to the Holy Angels plot and hate to think it looks like someone doesn’t care,’ said Fr Paul Murphy.
A Drogheda man says he was shocked and saddened to see the Holy Angels’ plot in St Peter’s Cemetary “overgrown and riddled with weeds”.
James Mullen was attending a funeral in the graveyard last week, and he said he was not alone in feeling such sadness that the plot, which is reserved for stillborn or miscarried babies, was in such a bad state.
“I really couldn’t believe the place where these little angels are laid to rest could barely be seen because of tall grass and dandelions,” James tells the Drogheda Independent.
“It was like an absolute jungle and it was made worse because the rest of the graveyard was so neat and tidy.”
James says it is hard for him to understand why people who have someone there wouldn’t take care of it themselves, but someone needs to take it on.
“I suppose most people in Drogheda wouldn’t see it, as it’s tucked away in the corner, and unless you had a baby there, you might never visit it,” he says.
“My partner had a miscarriage and it is a disgrace to see it not looked after or cared for.”
James who is a full-time carer for his 90-year-old mother says it should be the type of work suitable for community service or a project for community groups.
“If something was organised, I’d be up for helping, and I suppose it takes someone to organise it, but the question is, who should be responsible?”
However, a spokesman St Peter’s Parish, which in recent years has taken on the responsibility for clearing weeds and rubbish from the graveyard, says their hands have been tied in recent months, causing great frustration.
“We are very aware of the work that needs to be done to the Holy Angels’ Plot and hate to think it looks like someone doesn’t care,” say Fr Paul Murphy, who sits on the committee to maintain the upkeep of the graveyard.
“The plot actually belongs to the HSE, as the hospital is the only one to use it, however I’m not aware of them ever having cleared it, so we took it on as part of our efforts.’
Fr Paul explains that insurance issues have prevented any tidy-up being carried out this year.
“We applied for a Community Employment worker last September but the frustrating part is his insurance is only coming in now,” he adds.
“We have visited Glasnevin Cemetary to see how they do it there, so we hope to make our own Holy Angel’s plot a priority as soon as we can.”
Last October, several GAA clubs in the town took part in a community effort to clean-up the vast graveyard, when volunteers from the Nicks, the O’Raghallaighs, Blues, Plunketts, Tones and others all rolled up their sleeves.
“We will do another big push ahead of Cemetary Sunday, but we ask people to do their own bit when they can.”