It will be no longer possible to play music at a graveside without permission from the county council if new draft bye laws for the regulation of cemeteries in Mayo are approved.
The members of the environmental SPC of Mayo County Council were generally welcoming of the new bye laws which will govern the running of the cemeteries in the county, including the regulations on the size of headstones. However one item in the bye laws regarding the playing of music at a graveside unless permission has been granted by Mayo County Council did raise concern.
“If we are to have to seek permission from Mayo County Council to play a flute or some music at a grave, we are going too far,” Independent councillor Richard Finn told the meeting. “I’m sure no elected member will vote for that at all.”
Cllr Michael Kilcoyne asked, “What will happen if someone dies on Holy Thursday and the council offices are closed till the following Tuesday? Who are you going to get permission from to play a bit of music?” Fianna Fáil Cllr Mícheál McNamara said there was “no need for this type of regulation at all”.
Cllr Kilcoyne also asked if something could be put into the bye laws to ensure that all people who dig graves are covered by insurance of funeral directors. “We need to have something in because, 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. “Is it the council?”
Cllr McNamara added: “This type of thing is a tradition in areas and I don’t want to see it not being allowed. It is tradition in places that the neighbours and friends dig the grave, we must keep it.”
Cllr Kilcoyne agreed and told the meeting it was not that he did not want to see the tradition kept, but just wanted to make sure that those who did it were covered by insurance in case anything happened. Director of services for Mayo County Council, Paddy Mahon, told the meeting that the council would look at the issues again and try to balance tradition and the law as best they could.
