A TRALEE councillor has called for a defibrillator to be installed at Rath Cemetery.

Independent Cllr Sam Locke made the request at the meeting of Tralee Municipal District of Kerry County Council on Tuesday.

Cllr Locke said there have been occasions in the recent past where people have passed away while they were in the grounds of the graveyard and a defibrillator was needed.

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Meanwhile, Fine Gael Cllr Jim Finucane asked for an update on the proposed columbarium wall at the cemetery.

He was told that works are continuing on roads and additional footpaths at the cemetery and when they are advanced, construction of the columbarium wall should begin in March/April.

A LOCAL councillor called for an update on the caretaker situation at Rath Cemetery at the online meeting of Tralee Municipal District on Monday.

Fianna Fáil Cllr Johnnie Wall said the caretaker had still not started and there were a number of issues that needed to be sorted out urgently.

He said there was a general litter problem with bins overflowing and there was grass overgrowth in the area.

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Cllr Wall said something had to be done immediately as there was a large volume of visitors to the graveyard and a traffic plan was still not in place.

In reply, Colm Nagle, Executive Engineer with Kerry County Council, said the caretaker would be starting imminently which would address these problems, while the traffic plan is also being reviewed.

A NEW traffic plan for Rath Cemetery will be developed this year as well as an access road around the new section of the graveyard.

At the meeting of Tralee Municipal District, which was held online on Tuesday, Cllr Johnnie Wall asked the Council to develop a traffic plan for Rathass graveyard as he said it needs some kind of system.

In reply, he was told that the Council’s Environment Department will develop a traffic plan for the burial ground during 2021, incorporating a one-way system and improved signage where necessary and will also construct an access road around the new section of the burial ground.

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Also during the meeting, Mayor of Tralee Terry O’Brien asked for an update on the caretaker position in the graveyard.

He was told that the recruitment process to select an appointee for the position of Burial Ground Registrar/Caretaker for Rath Graveyard has been completed and it is expected that the appointee will take up the position early in the New Year once all necessary staffing arrangements have been finalised.

A private landscaping contractor has carried out works in the burial ground over the past few months and the Tralee MD have also assisted with any emergency issues as they arise.

TRALEE Municipal District councillors said dog owners need to exercise common sense and respect in relation to Rath Cemetery and greater deterrents are needed in relation to dog-fouling there.

At the meeting of the Tralee MD of Kerry County Council on Monday, Sinn Féin Cllr Cathal Foley asked Council management what are the regulations in relation to the control of dogs at Rath Cemetery.

Cllr Foley said he had received a message from a very upset person about a dog fouling on a grave of a relative in Rath.

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In reply, he was told the Kerry County Council Cemeteries Bye-laws 2018 prohibits dogs, with the exception of guide dogs, in Council-owned cemeteries.

Council management said their dog wardens and MD enforcement officers carry out inspections to ensure compliance and said arrangements would be made for increased inspections over the coming weeks.

Cllr Foley said unless the Council gets serious about fines and letting people know the dog wardens will be a presence there and issuing fines, it’s a waste of time trying to get people to comply.

Cllr Johnnie Wall (FF) said it was a difficult situation as he walks in the graveyard every day and sees dog owners who are not capable of going anywhere else to walk their dogs and witnesses them clean up after their pets.

Cllr Sam Locke (Ind) said it is disrespectful for any dog owner to enter the graveyard and take their dog off the lead and roam around. He agreed that there should be the deterrent of fines. Cllr Terry O’Brien (Lab) said dog owners should exercise common sense and respect in relation to the cemetery.

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.”

A MEMORIAL stone to commemorate babies who have died before, during or after birth was  unveiled and blessed at Rath Cemetery on Saturday morning.

The memorial (beside the altar near the Ballinorig entrance) was blessed by Fr Gerard O’Leary, Chaplain at Kerry General Hospital, in a short ceremony attended by around 60 people.

The memorial was put in place by Kerry County Council in association with the Miscarriage Association of Ireland.

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Laura Freeman of Kerry County Council got in touch with the association which has placed a number of such memorial stones in cemeteries around the country.

“I was contacted by a lady who had had a number of miscarriages and she wanted to do something,” said Laura, who was helped by Deirdre Finn in organising the memorial. “I did a bit of research and found the Miscarriage Association of Ireland has these memorial stones in graveyards around the country,” she said.

The stone was sent down from Glasnevin Cemetery and they contacted Fr O’Leary about conducting the service.

“It’s just a place for people to come and remember. A lot of people have miscarriages and they’re not buried here in this graveyard, so it’s a place to reflect,” said Laura. Scroll down for photos…

A MEMORIAL stone to commemorate babies who have died before, during or after birth will be unveiled and blessed at Rath Cemetery, Tralee on Saturday next, August 26 at 11am.

The memorial is being put in place by Kerry County Council in association with the Miscarriage Association of Ireland.

The Association has placed a number of such memorial stones in cemeteries around the country.

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The memorial (beside the altar) will be blessed by Fr Gerard O’Leary, Chaplain at Kerry General Hospital, on Saturday at 11am.

Those who have experienced or being affected by miscarriage are welcome to attend the dedication and blessing of the memorial stone as are all members of the public.

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.