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Rath Cemetery
THERE was a call for something to be done about thefts of items from graves at Rath Cemetery at the meeting of Tralee Municipal District councillors on Tuesday.
Cllr Toireasa Ferris asked the Council if anything can be done as it was causing heartache for families to see memorials go missing from loved ones graves.
Council Management in reply said the Gardaí should be contacted if thefts occur. Cllr Ferris said the Gardaí may not have the resources or time to deal with such matters which were on the lower end of criminal behaviour and it would be so hard to detect it, even though it was causing heartache to families.
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“There is nothing more heartbreaking for a family as when they put something on a loved one’s grave to go back and see it vandalised or missing,” she said.
She said there have been cases where families have placed memorials on the grave only to find them missing and a similar memorial appearing on a grave nearby.
Cllr Ferris said she was hoping the Council would come up with a different solution. Cllr Sam Locke (Ind) said the Rath Graveyard committee has received reports over the years of tributes and small memorials being moved from one grave to another.
He said it may have come to the stage where people may have to inscribe their tributes or memorials so they can be identified or lay a sort of foundation which would make it difficult for people to move it to another grave.
He said the suggestion of CCTV has not gone down well with families and the committee has encouraged people to take care of their loved ones graves but the area cannot be policed 24/7.
Cllr Pat McCarthy (FG) suggested that people placing items on graves set them using the adhesive material, OPF, which will set in a matter of hours.
