Grave matter costs grieving families €750

Date Published: 25-Apr-2013

BY CIARAN TIERNEY

Bereaved families in Galway are losing out to the tune of up to €750 because Galway City Council officials continue to drag their heels to restore Sunday burials at the city’s two public graveyards, it has been claimed.

There have been no Sunday burials at Bohermore or Rahoon since the end of last year and Cllr Ollie Crowe (FF) has claimed that families are being forced to spend between €500 to €750 because of the costs incurred in keeping the remains of loved-ones at funeral homes for additional nights.

Cllr Crowe claimed yesterday that senior local authority officials were showing “a lack of respect” to the elected members who voted 15-0 in favour of retaining Sunday burials late last year.

“Genuinely, there is a huge cost for people to have to pay for an extra night or two nights in a funeral home,” he told the Galway City Tribune.

“The officials have said that there are no Sunday burials in the other major cities, but that’s not a good enough reason. They are saying they have suspended them on health and safety grounds, but there are 450 staff in City Hall and surely some of the outdoor staff could be transferred over to guarantee a Sunday service.”

He said the City Council members asked the officials to come back with a solution when they voted to retain the Sunday burials service last September, but they had since failed to do so.

The matter was due to be discussed at last week’s meeting of Galway City Council, but was adjourned until next month. There have now been no Sunday burials at Rahoon or Bohermore for almost four months.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.