No animal corpses in Mayo cemeteries
ONE of the proposed bye-laws for the regulation of burial grounds in Co. Mayo reads: ‘Only human remains and cremated human remains shall be interred in a burial ground’, writes Man on the Bridge in his weekly column in this week's Connaught Telegraph.
The proposed rule caught the attention of Councillor Michael Holmes as he perused the suggested bye-laws prior to a meeting of Mayo County Council's Planning, Environment and Agriculture Strategic Policy Committee (SPC).
Swivelling in his chair, Michael commented to Man on the Bridge (MOB): “What's this about?
“Sure I never heard of any animals being buried in a cemetery.”
Well, MOB has. He then informed Councillor Michael about Ballyara Cemetery, near Tubbercurry, where a famous horse, The Pride of Ballyara, is interred.
The horse in the graveyard tale was first brought to my attention by the late Bishop Thomas Flynn of Achonry back in the early 1990s.
Later, checking on the bishop's information, I visited Ballyara and there, sure enough, in a secluded, leafy corner, I discovered a monument to the legendary animal of the 1800s bearing the inscription ‘The Pride of Ballyara’.
Anyway, back to the proposed amendments to the burial ground bye-laws in Mayo.
They were comprehensively outlined to SPC members last week by Martin Keating, head of environment, climate change and agriculture.
A copy of the suggested bye-laws are about to be put on public display and submissions invited.
The bye-laws, when adopted, will apply to all burial grounds under the control and the ownership of the county council.
According to Mr. Keating, two main issues have arisen in relation to existing bye-laws.
The first relates to 'oversized' monuments. The second concerns the activities of 'unregistered' monumental sculptors operating in burial grounds within the jurisdiction of the local authority.
In a bid to address the issue of monuments which have been erected ‘in excess of threshold heights’, the council proposes a permitting system for headstones.
This means monumental sculptors will have to apply in writing to the local authority before they erect a headstone and give details of the headstone they are going to erect.
The council suggests a 'red card' system for monument erectors who breach the bye-laws.
The proposed sanctions would include fixed penalty notices for offenders. Also, if a second offence was committed the sculptor could be removed from the council's approved list of monumental sculptors for a period of two years.
One proposal will surely be welcomed by those who have been complaining about dogs running loose and soiling graves in graveyards.
The amended bye-law proposes that no person shall allow or cause a dog or other animal to enter a burial ground.
However, the proposed rule will not apply to guide dogs accompanying persons with visual impairment.
I imagine most of the draft amended bye-laws proposed by the council will be welcomed by the general public, with some exceptions.
There's probably some pressure nowadays from dog owners, who are deeply attached to their pets, to be buried alongside their beloved animals.
But that possibility will be a definite 'no no' under the amended regulations.
We're unlikely ever to see a monument over a horse's grave in Mayo, as has happened near Tubbercurry.
Public, consecrated graveyards are for humans and should always remain so.
* Read Man on the Bridge every Tuesday in our print edition