Portlaoise crematorium land deal approved by Laois County Council
Land sale agreed for a crematorium in Laois, to serve the entire Midlands region
The first step is complete to bring a crematorium to Laois, the first one to serve the county and the wider Midlands.
Laois County Council has approved the sale of a plot of their land in J17 National Enterprise Park in Togher, Portlaoise, to an Irish crematorium company.
Fine Gael Cllr Paddy Buggy has proposed the sale of the 1.24 hectare plot for €540,000 plus VAT, at the September meeting of Laois County Council held on Monday, September 28.
The buyer is The Island Crematorium Ltd, Mocklerstown House, Ballyclerihan, Clonmel.
The business has a crematorium on Rocky Island in Ringaskiddy, where they offer end of life ceremonies, both non-religious and religious, as well as a cremation service.
Cllr Buggy praised the council staff for working on his request to help bring a crematorium to Laois.
“It was a motion I brought up some months ago and I want to congratulate Pat Delaney (acting Director of Services) and the senior management team for acting so fast to bring about a crematorium for county Laois,” Cllr Buggy said when proposing the sale.
Fianna Fáil Cllr Seamus McDonald seconded the proposal but had no comment.
Cllr Aisling Moran praised the venture.
“I’m absolutely delighted to see this. It’s something I’ve been bringing up for the last seven years. I had a couple of motions in on it as well.
“Pat I’d like to thank you for working so well on this and getting it through. The crowd that bought it have a great reputation. They have a fantastic facility down in Cork. I think it’s a brilliant thing for Laois. It will bring a lot of people into Laois over the next few years,” Cllr Moran said.
Cremation is a growingly popular option for bereaved families in Laois, with several Columbarium Walls for urns now installed in Laois County Council’s cemeteries, and more being considered.
The next step will be a planning process to build the centre. If it is approved, it will mean the end of a difficult journey out of the county for Laois funerals where families have chosen a cremation. The nearest crematorium to Portlaoise is in Newlands Cross, 50 miles away.
Cllr Paddy Buggy had called for a crematorium, in a motion in December 2025.
He had noted that there are just nine crematoriums in Ireland, and one in Laois could serve the midlands.
The council said at the time that it would give consideration to the zoning of lands for the development of a crematorium in the next review of the Laois County Development Plan.
Last February, Cllr Buggy again raised the topic, during a discussion on space running out in the Portlaoise Cemetery. "We all die at some stage. Maybe we need to be actively engaged in finding and supporting someone to build it. We are running out of space in graveyards all over Laois,” he had said.
Back in 2021, Laois County Council director Donal Brennan said a businessman had approached the council with the idea, and he had advised them on further research, and wished them the best.