AS new bye-laws governing Limerick city’s cemeteries are currently being reviewed by Limerick City Council, the weekend vandalisation of the cemetery in Parteen village highlights the vulnerability of graveyards to anti-social activity. Given the severity of the vandalism that occurred in Kilquane Cemetery in Parteen on Saturday last, Limerick City Council’s position regarding additional supervision of the cemeteries raises questions.
The council’s stated policy on the issue is as follows: “There is no provision for additional policing of the cemeteries, but the cemeteries’ staff, visitors and gardai work together to minimise damage, or should damage occur, identify culprits”.
The bye-laws are currently being considered and have yet to be approved or otherwise by the elected members.
Meantime, Cllr Cathal Crowe, who paid for and donated a CCTV camera unit for Kilquane Cemetery last July, is horrified that on Saturday last, a headstone was smashed and the CCTV camera unit was destroyed, by puling it out of the ground.
Kilquane Cemetry is located on the northern bank of the Shannon River between the Shannon Banks Housing Estate and Parteen Village.
“A number of local people observed two gangs of youths drinking inside the cemetery – empty beer bottles and cans lay strewn about the place and one resident phoned Henry Street Garda Station to inform them of anti-social activity in the graveyard”.
When he visited the cemetery on Sunday, Cllr Crowe was appalled by the vandalism of the headstone.
“It is a despicable act of sacrilege – to interfere with the resting places of the dead is sick in the extreme, not to mention illegal”.
He said that fragments of bone could be seen protruding from the side of the grave.
Urging anyone who has information to come forward and assist the Gardai with their enquiries, he paid tribute to the work carried out by the Kilquane cemetery committee and said that the CCTV unit had gone some way towards curbing anti-social activity.
“Those who were drinking in the cemetery last weekend clearly took issue with the camera – the steel pole mounting it was targeted and it would have taken several strong people to knock it over. The internal components of the camera were then ripped out and destroyed.
“In recent years, the Kilquane Cemetery Committee has done fantastic work to tidy up and renovate their cemetery – they rebuilt sections of the boundary wall and renovated dilapidated headstones.
“A stone avenue to the cemetery was installed two years ago and earlier this year, the committee built a wheelchair accessible access ramp at the entrance.
