Talks take place to secure new cemetery for Kildare town

Negotiations are understood to be taking place between Kildare County Council and landowners to secure a new burial place for the town.

The cemetery at Bodenstown is full and while there are plans by a developer to build  a private cemetery adjacent to Bodenstown, no work has actually started.

But while talks are  proceeding with a view to acquiring new space, residents remain concerned that burials could have to take place at locations other than Sallins.

But this will be resolved if extra space can be created within the cemetery by removing trees.

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The removal of trees is being considered by Kildare County Council as an interim measure which would address the immediate needs for burial plots - while plans for a new cemetery are developed.

Local businessman Owen Marron, who is part of a local committee formed to address the issue, says people are concerned.

“Local people were coming into my shop complaining about this and fearful about the fact that the cemetery was getting full and we decided to press for action. For a long time there was little happening. But the ball is rolling now and there has been a good response from everyone. Deputy James Lawless and Cllr Carmel Kelly are also involved with us and Kildare County Council is very interested in finding a solution” said Mr Marron.

It’s estimated that there are about a dozen funerals in Sallins every year.

But not all of these require a fresh plot because in some instances people are interred in plots that are already bought by other family members - in some cases many years ago.

It’s now likely that a line of trees will be removed along one side of the and this could yield between 18 and 20 new plots - enough to meet local requirements for about two years.

However the process of removing trees  is likely to be time consuming  because there is an amount of red tape associated with the move since Bodenstown cemetery is a national monument because it holds the grave of Wolfe Tone, the Irish republican and rebel who died in prison in 1798.

KCC has previously said that a number of factors must be considered before buying land for a cemetery. These include the availability of funding, whether the site is fit for purpose, the cost of the land and if it’s fair and reasonable, issues around access, and that the land is appropriately zoned.

Planning permission for the private project was granted almost four years ago.