Deirdre Gavin
Permission will have to be sought from Mayo County Council to play music at a graveside if draft bye-laws on cemeteries are adopted. The bye-laws for the regulation of Mayo cemeteries came under discussion at a meeting of Environmental and Agricultural SPC of Mayo County Council last week.
Concerns have been raised in relation to a number of issues in burial grounds, according to Paddy Mahon, director of services, and the bye-laws will regulate various aspects of the county’s’ cemeteries, including the size of headstones.
While the bye-laws were largely welcomed by most councillors, one bye-law generated a lot of discussion. If adopted, it would mean no music in a graveyard without prior approval from the County Council. Section 28 (a) of the bye laws states: “No person shall operate any sound-reproducing equipment or play any musical instrument in a Cemetery without the prior consent of the Council.”
Commenting, Cllr Richard Finn said the bye-law would be unfair to grieving mourners: “To come to Mayo County Council to ask whether we can play the flute at the graveyard – that’s new lows for us, that takes away every human right and dignity and I’m sure no elected representative will vote for this.”
Cllr Michael Kilcoyne welcomed the document as a whole, but he also raised concerns about the subject of music in cemeteries: “Lots of burials have music played at them,” he said. He pointed out that the bye-law was unworkable due to council opening hours and holidays – highlighting weekends and Easter. “What if someone died on Holy Thursday?” he asked. “Who are you going to get permission from to play a bit of music if there’s nobody here?”
Cllr Kilcoyne also raised concerns about the lack of regulations surrounding insurance and grave diggers. He said that there should be cover for those who dig graves. “If Tommy dies and then Johnny and Mickey go and dig the grave and an old headstone next to the grave falls in on top of Mickey, who is responsible?” he asked.
Responding, Cllr Michael McNamara spoke of his concerns with regard the bye-laws and having professional bodies involved. He pointed out that “traditional burials in the county have always had friends assisting in the grave digging,” and he said he was concerned that regulation could interfere with that tradition.
The bye-laws will be brought before Mayo County Council in June for approval.
