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THE issue of the main gates to Rath Cemetery being closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day was brought up by two councillors at Monday’s meeting of Tralee Municipal District.
Sinn Féin Cllr Toireasa Ferris said she was contacted by a recently widowed woman who was spending her first Christmas without her husband for many decades.
“She was not able to access his grave and it devastated the woman,” said Cllr Ferris, “and I don’t think we, as a council, can stand over that.”
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Cllr Ferris said she appreciates that people need to have holidays but she couldn’t understand why the gates — which allow people with mobility issues to drive in to the graveyard — were closed on Christmas Eve and St Stephen’s Day.
She asked that some arrangement be decided upon, whereby the graveyard may be open for a limited time period during these days.
Cllr Norma Foley also expressed her disappointment and said horrendous upset was caused to families who could not visit the graves of loved ones.
“It’s a time when families gather together and visit graves of loved ones and it wasn’t working as it should have worked,” she said. “This issue arose before and we’re now back to it again.”
