FOLLOWING on recent calls on city council to designate a special timespan during which people could access Mount St Lawrence Cemetery to visit the graves of their relatives and friends, Cllr Joe Leddin is now adding his voice to the representations. “The gates are now only opened when there is a funeral but they should be opened on specific times to allow people entry – it’s natural that people want to pay their respects to their departed loved ones and some want to maintain the graves,” he told a meeting of Limerick City Council.
Director of services, Caroline Curley, was also asked by Cllr Kathleen Leddin if the cemetery would be open to the public on Christmas Day.
“It is traditional with a lot of Limerick families to pay a special visit to their graves on Christmas Day”.
Ms Curley said that if the cemetery has been open on Christmas Day in other years, she sees no reason why it would not be open this coming Christmas Day.
Referring to Cllr Joe Leddin’s comments regarding the locked gates, she said the council is currently looking at the by-laws governing cemeteries.
“There is a health and safety issue regarding the gates – the cemetery is considered to be a workplace but also available to visitors.
“We will take a look at this in relation to the health and safety issue – if something happened it would be my responsibility but we will look at it,” she said.
