Provision of Columbarium Sought For Carrigaline Municipal District
Writes Leo McMahon
A columbarium wall for St Patrick’s Cemetery, Crosshaven to provide an additional option for families choosing cremation, was suggested by Cllr Audrey Buckley (FF) at the recent meeting of the county council’s Carrigaline Municipal District (MD).
Noting that there was a similar motion from Cllr Patrick Donovan (FF) at a meeting of the full council, she said she first suggested one for the MD four years ago having seen the excellent columbarium provided by the local authority itself at St James’s Cemetery, Chetwynd, just off the N71 road to West Cork. More and more people were opting for these and there was clearly need for one in the Carrigaline MD area. There were people with urns containing the remains of loved ones on their mantelpiece waiting for a columbarium to be provided.
Seconding, Cllr Donovan said up to now the focus was on providing these in the North and West of the county, but the council should be looking at its more populous centres because that was where these were needed. He pointed out that he had also had a previous motion about the cemetery in Crosshaven because he was concerned about the number of burial spaces remaining in the MD. Plots, he added, were more costly (believed to be around €1,400) than a section in a columbarium, the latter of which he was told, could be around €800. At least one or two should be in every MD and be incorporated into future burial grounds.
Cllr Donovan said he welcomed the council’s pilot scheme which had commenced in Bantry and the suggestion to refer his motion to the Social Inclusion and Community Strategic Policy Committee.
In support, Cllr Ben Dalton-O’Sullivan (Ind) said that as a council he didn’t know why they had to think so much about it because columbariums were cost neutral and eventually paid for themselves. St John’s Cemetery, Ballinrea, Carrigaline might be a good place to start, he added.
An Cathaoirleach, Cllr Jack White (FG) said he was informed by Bandon-Kinsale MD Cllr John Michael Foley (FG), an undertaker in Timoleague, that it was moving towards 50-50 on burials and cremations.
MD officer Denise Kidney said she was due to meet with the administrator of the Social Inclusion, Community and Rural (SPC) dealing with this. Both motions were being referred to it.
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