Cllr. Peter
Ormond has expressed surprise and disappointment that Dungar Joint Burial Board
is to discontinue from 1st June next. The Chairman of the burial board, Cllr.
Ormond stated that they had their AGM only two weeks ago and there was no word
or mention of it dissolving. We received confirmation on Monday last that two
Ministerial Orders were signed the previous week dissolving the board and all
assets and liabilities were to be transferred to the local Authority,.ie Offaly
County Council.
The board has
operated since the foundation of the state at a minimal cost to the state. We
were also very lucky to have the Maloney Family as Caretakers since the 1930’s
and the dedication and pride they have provided to the people in the surrounding areas is clear to be seen.
On hearing the
news, Cllr. Ormond has made immediate contact with the Environment Section of
Offaly County Council with a view to
coming to an alternative arrangement that will seek to provide the status quo
in terms of providing the same level of service in the graveyard. However this
will take some time and they are no guarantees of a successful outcome.
This is another
attack on rural Ireland and the savings that the state are making here are in
the region of less than €5,000 per annum. There were only six joint burial
boards in the Country and there was no need to make this decision without any
consultation. The burial board was made up of people from North Tipperary,
Offaly and Laois and met on an annual basis.
Cllr. Ormond
would like to express his thanks to Mr. Liam Maloney for his dedication and
service to the board and he hoped that after 1st June 2014, there would be a
mechanism put in place to facilitate him in his work as care-taker of the
cemetery.
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