Gurteen funeral parlour
A young couple have been praised for their bravery in seeking to open up a new funeral home in Gurteen.
Fr Joseph Caulfield PP in Gurteen told County Planners that he fully supported an application by Emmet and Siobhán (O’Dowd) Cooney to open a funeral parlour as part of O’Dowd Funeral Services in the town.
He was writing in support of their application to Sligo County Council to turn a house/pub in the centre of the village into a funeral parlour.
Siobhán is the daughter of the late Raymond O’Dowd, who was the local undertaker for the Gurteen and surrounding areas for almost forty years until his untimely death in 2010.
The proposed funeral parlour will save the present need for Gurteen, Cloonloo, Killavil, Culfadda and possibly Monasteraden, to go to one of four nearby towns - Ballymote, Ballaghaderreen, Tubbercurry and Boyle. There were 12 funerals from Gurteen and Cloonloo churches in 2017.
Fr Caulfield and the Committee of St Patrick’s Parish Hall, Gurteen gave their written consent to the Cooneys to use the 50 spaces in Gurteen Church and Parish Hall car park grounds to accommodate larger funerals.
The couple are proposing to provide 15 parking spaces to the rear of their funeral parlour and there is 15 spaces on the street outside also.
It is envisaged that they will deploy at least three traffic stewards to regulate funeral traffic.
County planners are due to make a decision on the development by 12 th November.