Biggest Laois cemetery Portlaoise filling up fast with rocky waterlogged sections unused

The cemetery in Portlaoise is filling up fast in the rapidly growing town, with councillors urging Laois County Council to plan ahead.

The Council says however, that there is enough room for eight more years of burials in SS Peter and Paul's Cemetery, while there is also space in the Columbarian walls.

Part of the cemetery site is unusable due to rocky, waterlogged ground, the councillors said.

Portlaoise Municipal District Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald says well over 100 people a year are now being buried in the cemetery which is on the Stradbally road.

"It takes so long to get land. I actually think it won't last eight years, we need to get a project up and moving now," she said.

She tabled a motion to the February district meeting, asking the council to give an up date on the future capacity.

The council says that "given current demand and extrapolating future demand, the capacity in the newly developed section of Portlaoise Cemetery is aproximately eight years".

As well as that there are still available plots in the older section. 

"This does not include available plots in the older sections of the cemetery. In addition there are 64 niches available in the Columbarium Wall," they say.

The columbarium wall was launched in late 2022, with 80 spaces for cremated remains, at a fee.

There is green space at the back of the cemetery but it is considered unsuitable for burials, as the councillors discussed.

Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley had seconded Cllr Fitzgerald's motion.

"I am on the cemetery committee with Catherine and Cllr Marie Tuohy. We see how quickly the cemetery is sadly filling up. At the back of the new part, we are told we weren't to use that bottom part because it is waterlogged. Is there plans to drain it?," she asked.

Cllr Fitzgerald noted that that unused section has "a lot of rock as well", making it harder to dig graves.

Cllr Paddy Buggy said he had a recent motion urging the support for a crematorium in Laois.

"We all die at some stage. Maybe we need to be actively engaged in finding and supporting someone to build it. 

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"With issues like rocks and water, we're all told about water tables, we can't bury people there. We are running out of space in graveyards all over Laois," he said.

Cllr John Joe Fennelly suggests that the section of Portlaoise cemetery where there is underground rock, could be used for the crematorium site.