Kildare cemetery has 'about four years left' until full
Cllr Tim Durkan (FG) has called for an extension to Laragbryan Cemetery, Maynooth
A Fine Gael councillor has called on the local authority to begin the process of extending Laraghbryan Cemetery in Maynooth, Co Kildare due to capacity concerns.
Cathaoirleach of the County of Kildare, Cllr Tim Durkan, raised his motion at a meeting of Clane-Maynooth Municipal District, held on Friday November 6 last.
Speaking on his motion, which was seconded by Cllr William Durkan (FG), Cllr Durkan noted the council's report, and said there had been several meetings on-site over the issue.
Cllr Durkan told the council that Laraghbryan Cemetery is reaching capacity and has “about four years left.”
The columbarium wall, he added, is “about 75% full”, and he was concerned about the timeline of how long it would take to get the cemetery project completed.
Supporting the motion, Cllr William Durkan (FG) said that the capacity problem was something which is “very important to get right over the coming decade” for the whole of the county.
He said any focus that could be put on the matter “countywide” is important, as well as any resources that are needed or support from councillors.
Responding to councillors, a council official stated that with increased population in the area, there was a capacity issue in Laraghbryan Cemetery which needed to be addressed.
With respect to that particular cemetery, she said, there was an “avenue” to acquiring more land for the cemetery, which was most welcome given the circumstances.
Thanking the council for its response, Cllr Tim Durkan said he knew the council was doing everything in its power to progress the matter.
He also suggested there should be three large-scale cemeteries for Kildare – one for North Kildare, one for “Mid-Kildare”, and one for South Kildare - in terms of servicing the county's population.
This, he argued, would be preferable to the current situation, where there are several small cemeteries which are difficult to maintain.
A report issued by Kildare County Council stated that “current figures” indicated there was adequate capacity in Laraghbryan Cemetery “for the next four years.”
As such, there were no immediate plans to extend the cemetery at Maynooth, the report added.
However, the report further noted that: “it is intended to review cemetery capacity countywide with a view to ensuring adequate cemetery capacity across all municipal districts on a long-term basis.”