Families left to shoulder burden of vandalised graves

THE Kilcully Community Action Group has said it is disappointed more councillors have not contributed money from their ward funds to assist families affected by the extensive damage done at Kilcully graveyard at the start of the year.

Laura Carey Kiely of the Kilcully Community Action Group moved to express her sincere thanks to the councillors who donated from their discretionary ward funds but says the group and affected families have been let down by a number of empty promises.

Ms Carey Kiely has said the Action Group now has just under €3,000 to divide amongst 30 families affected by the sickening vandalism.

“We have €200 from the GoFundMe page and as it stands we have €2,700 from the councillors’ ward funds.

“There isn’t enough to cover the damages. All I can do now is spread the money out evenly to the affected families,” she said.

“It’s very disappointing because even at the moment, McCarthy & Sons, the headstone place rang me and said there was another 20 quotes that they had for me.

“We were assuming that most families were fixing it [the damage done to the graves] themselves because they didn’t directly come to the committee group and give their quotes.

“I had eight which that money would have covered but then I got the phone call saying that 20 other families are after being to McCarthy & Sons and I must meet with him.

“It’s been a very hard and stressful few months,” she said.

The estimated cost of the damage that was done then is €16,000.

Since the vandalism attack, a number of security upgrades have been made to the cemetery.