Parents upset at work on Angels’ Plot
Dublin People 01 Oct 2011
PARENTS have
expressed their upset after works were carried out on the plot where their
babies are buried in a Southside cemetery.
Families of the
children who are interred in the Angels’ Plot in Bohernabreena Cemetery near
Tallaght, claim South Dublin County Council failed to inform them in advance of
works it carried out to extend the plot on September 22.
Michelle Quinn
(27), from Fettercairn, whose baby daughter Summer is buried in the plot at the
cemetery, said she was shocked to learn about the works.
“I was on Facebook
the other night and I saw a message from one of the girls saying the council
were after digging all the ends of the graves and moving stuff,
? Ms Quinn said.
“She put up a
photo and I nearly got sick. I was just disgusted. I was very upset. There were
other mothers that came up and didn’t even know about it. They fell to their
knees at the graves in shock.
?
Ms Quinn said the
works involved the installation of a new footpath at the bottom of the graves.
She was upset at what she perceived as disturbance of the gravesite.
“They brought the
path right up to meet the grave and had to push everything back,
? she
explained.
In addition, she
said parents were angry that the council did not inform them of the works in
advance. She also claimed that the local authority had failed to respond to
calls from irate parents about the changes.
“We are just very
annoyed that nobody thought of telling us,
? Ms Quinn added.
“We walked up to
our baby’s grave and it was just like a building site. We thought they would
have had the decency to tell us before they started.
“We have tried to
contact the Environmental Department in the council but they won’t answer the
phones to us. We want some sort of apology or for them to answer the phone to
us or talk to us but they won’t.
?
In late August
Southside People revealed how South Dublin County Council wrote to over 300
locals whose loved ones are buried in plots at Bohernabreena Cemetery,
demanding that they remove any personal items or mementos placed on the graves.
The letters
sparked outrage among locals, many of whom had been tending to the grave plots
for several years and the issue has still not been resolved fully.
Deputy Sean Crowe
(SF) said he was shocked that the council had not informed parents in advance
of the works at the Angels’ Plot.
He also said it
was
“worrying
? that the council had not learned from the previous controversy
surrounding the personal items.
“The installation
of a footpath that cuts into or alongside graves merits at least a call or
letter to parents that have loved ones interred,
? he said.
A spokesperson for
South Dublin County Council said that when staff began work at the plot they
found that some items had been placed both on the graves in question and beyond
the end of the graves.
“The staff
proceeded to move these items carefully and place them further back on the
graves, so that these personal items would not be damaged by the footpath
construction work,
? he explained.
“Sometime later
that morning a group gathered in the graveyard protesting at the action taken
by the council in this regard. The supervisor and staff formed the opinion that
they could not continue to work in these conditions and they stopped work, as
they considered there to be a health and safety risk to all concerned.
“This work has not
yet recommenced,
? the spokesperson said.
“On the day of the protest some of the
families complained that they had received no notification from the council
with regard to the work commencing. South Dublin County Council’s Environmental
Services Department will now issue a letter to the families concerned outlining
the work which is to take place.
?
The spokesman
added that the council hoped that the families involved in the dispute would
cooperate with the local authority and allow the work to extend the Angel’s
Plot to be carried out.
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