Graveyard crisis

Killarney graveyard crisis as council vow to reach a solution


KILLARNEY Town Councillors have vowed not to give up their fight for a public graveyard in the town and say that a solution may be found soon.
Following a meeting with Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, they have asked him to see if they could use land in Muckross beside the old Abbey graveyard.
Both Killarney’s main burial grounds, Aghadoe and Muckross graveyards are now full and currently there is no council graveyard in the town.
Councillors met with the Minister for the Environment, who visited Killarney last week to launch a management report for the National Park , to discuss the issue.
“It was a very positive meeting and the minister was very concerned about the issue.”
Mayor of Killarney, Cllr Tom Doherty said “that the minister has now a clear understanding of the difficulties facing us with regard to the burial ground.”
“Killarney is land-locked and with private development and the private sector it is very difficult for the town council to match the investment money that private developers have.”
He said he was calling on Kerry County Council to co-operate with the town council in finding a site for a new graveyard.
“Kerry County Council and Killarney Town Council must co-operate together to find a suitable sight.”
“This is a very serious problem,” he said.

The Kerryman newspaper