Council official has to travel from Rathkeale to open and close gates
GRIEVING by appointment was how Councillor Jerome Scanlan described the situation faced by mourners at Croagh Old Cemetery. It was revealed to the Limerick Post that those who wish to visit the cemetery have first to go to the Rathkeale offices of the council and get an official to escort them to the graveyard to unlock the gates.
When the visit is over, the cemetery is then locked up again.
“That should not be happening in this day and age,” commented the councillor, who wants the graveyard officially reopened.
He was told that because of unsafe conditions, access had to be restricted and that a request to the Department of Environment Heritage and Local Government for funding for repairs had been unsuccessful. Councillor Scanlan told this newspaper: “I have been applying for the graveyard to be reopened since early 2008, but because the grounds contain an ancient monument that is said to be in an unsafe condition, and is a protected structure, the department is involved, making the process far more complicated.
Councillor Stephen Keary, based in Croagh, outside Adare, met with the council’s Heritage Officer at the graveyard recently to observe the situation there, following a number of submissions that had been made by community representatives.
It was confirmed to councillor Keary that a fence would be erected around the monument to render the grounds more safe for the public. However, an exact timeframe for when this would take place, or when the grounds would be reopened, was not provided.
