Concerns raised as cemetery bye-laws adopted

There was some debate around new Burial Ground bye-laws at Meath County Council’s monthly meeting before they were ultimately adopted following a lengthy discussion on the management of council-run cemeteries across the county.

The bye-laws set out a formal framework for six operational council cemeteries — St Finian’s Cemetery, Navan; Loganstown Cemetery; Trim Cemetery; St Declan’s Cemetery, Ashbourne; Julianstown Cemetery; and Ratoath Cemetery — covering burials, maintenance standards, memorials and general governance.

Council officials said the aim was to ensure consistency, transparency and compliance with health and safety obligations across all sites.

Members were told the bye-laws had gone through the statutory process, including consultation with prescribed bodies and a five-week public consultation period during which three submissions were received.

According to the Chief Executive’s report, issues raised included heritage, biodiversity, memorials and access to records, but officials said most concerns were already covered under existing legislation or would be more appropriately dealt with through operational policy rather than bye-laws.

Opening the debate, Fine Gael Cllr Paddy Meade said he could not support the bye-laws in their current form.

“There are unnecessary restrictions being introduced and I believe there needs to be further consideration and engagement on a number of key issues,” he said.

Cllr Meade also raised concerns around access to graveyards, consultation and what he described as restrictions on traditional practices.

“Section 13 would effectively ban traditional volunteer grave digging. I myself dug three graves last year… that is part of my community and my culture,” he said.

He also questioned the level of public engagement with the proposals.

“There was no edit to the bye-laws from those submissions so basically you rejected not only what I put in but what other people put in.

“There needs to be a bigger consultation on this or maybe a workshop on this with the councillors.”

Fine Gael Cllr Alan Tobin raised concerns about older graveyards across the county which are not covered by the bye-laws.

“My concern is around the 200 or more older graveyards around the county and if a similar process could be initiated on them to protect those because at the moment they fall outside of the remit of the bye-laws,” he said.

Navan Fianna Fáil Cllr Padraig Fitzsimons raised concerns around enforcement of standards in some cemeteries, particularly in relation to headstone sizes and use of plots.

“In many of the newer urban graveyards, rules are being broken… some headstones are trying to outdo each other and are going beyond the permitted height,” he said.

He also suggested the council engage collectively with funeral directors on cemetery management issues.

Aontú Cllr Emer Tóibín said she had nearly missed the consultation process herself only for a constituent bringing it to her attention.

She suggested the council consider additional ways of publicising consultations, including local radio bulletins.

“I do feel, despite the Council’s efforts, it doesn’t reach enough people,” she said.

Tóibín also raised concerns about the proposed lawn cemetery format for future cemetery extensions and new burial grounds. The lawn cemetery model ensures graves are laid out in a uniform, grassed design with simplified maintenance and limited items around headstone

“Going to the graves is a very personal experience,” she said, adding that she could not support the proposals “particularly on the lawn format.”

Independent Ratoath Cllr Nick Killian warned that capacity issues could become a growing concern in parts of the county.

Speaking about Ratoath graveyard, he said a local parish priest believed there may only be “about five years left” in the existing cemetery due to population growth and ageing communities.

“I just want to put down a marker, basically, that we’re running out of space,” he said.

Cllr Maria Murphy said she now fully supports the lawn cemetery model following its introduction at the extension to Dunboyne graveyard.

“When we were considering the extension in Dunboyne graveyard, we had long discussions about the proposals to put in the lawn system, and there were concerns expressed. But I have to say now I fully support that model,” she said.

Cllr Murphy said the newer section was “much cleaner and much easier to maintain” than older areas where graves can become difficult to maintain over time.

“Everything is uniform, though it did take a while for people to get used to it,” she said.

Council officials confirmed the bye-laws apply only to the six operational cemeteries managed by Meath County Council and do not extend to other burial grounds across the county.

Officials also confirmed that grave digging must now be carried out by approved contractors in line with health and safety guidance.

Members were told a new digital management system, Plotbox, has also been introduced to modernise burial records and cemetery administration.

Following debate, a proposal to defer the decision was defeated and the Burial Ground Byelaws were adopted by a majority vote.

- Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme