Burial trends are set to change rapidly in Kilkenny, under the Council’s latest plans.
A recent meeting of the City District heard proposals for a ‘columbarium wall’ in St Kieran’s Cemetery.
The structure would be specially designed with niches to hold urns of cremated remains.
The plan received strong support from the council, including Green Councillor Maria Dollard who told KCLR News “I think it’s a really welcome development from Kilkenny County Council so many people, about 20% of people now, are choosing cremation as their option and a columbarium wall will allow them to chose a resting place for their loved one that will be more, I suppose, eco-friendly in the sense that it isn’t taking up as much space and it’ll likely be much cheaper than a traditional burial and lots of people are bearing costs in mind as well”.
Cllr Joe Malone was also strongly in favour but says the Council could go further still.
If cremated remains are to be stored in St Kieran’s Cemetery, Cllr Malone says they’ll need somewhere to be cremated in the first place.
He’s put forward this case for a crematorium in Kilkenny, saying”It’s the future I think and I think with burial grounds now and with land at a premium I think we’re going to see more and more of these walls and cremations and then I asked the question of a crematorium, is there going to be planning permission for one in the city, will that be the next thing and the answer was not at the moment but there could be a South East one, there is one in Ringaskiddy in Cork and there’s one up in Dublin”.
