Call to improve access to West Cork graveyards for people with mobility difficulties
Councillor Harrington said everyone should be able to visit the grave of a family member or friend, regardless of mobility.
A call has been made for a multi-year programme to improve paths and access routes at graveyards across West Cork, after concerns were raised that people with mobility difficulties cannot always reach family graves.
Independent councillor Finbarr Harrington brought the motion to a recent meeting of Cork County Council’s West Cork Municipal District.
Mr Harrington asked that funding be ring-fenced from the municipal district budget, in addition to existing graveyard maintenance funding, to improve access over a number of years.
He said the work should make burial grounds more accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities and reduced mobility.
Read More
Mr Harrington said he had been contacted by a young person with a mobility disability who was only able to visit one of their parents graves because of the difficulty of access at the other site.
“I think that really highlights why the motion is important,” he told the meeting.
He said everyone should be able to visit the grave of a family member or friend, regardless of mobility.
Mr Harrington said some of the work could involve providing a suitable smooth surface on paths and access routes. He said the programme would not have to be completed in one year, but could work through a proportion of graveyards each year.
Other members supported the proposal, citing examples of recent access improvements at graveyards in the area.
In a written response, Eimear O’Neill, Municipal District Officer for West Cork, said graveyard maintenance was carried out under schedules agreed with members as part of town enhancement plans.
Ms O’Neill said requests for additional funding to upgrade paths and access routes would be considered in the context of the municipal district’s available funding and future budget provisions.
She said accessibility would be considered where possible when works were planned, taking account of the layout and constraints of individual graveyards.
App?
