A controversial rule requiring graves to be eight foot deep has been removed from the county's Burial Ground Bye-Laws.
A range of measures aimed at improved management and regulation of burial grounds in Clare will come into affect next month after being approved at a meeting of Clare County Council last night.
The bye-laws contain 39 clauses relating to the management and control of burial grounds, including the size and purchase of burial plots, the recording of burials, requirements governing headstones and monuments, and the depths of graves.
The sale of goods, recording equipment, parking, health and safety, regulation and penalties are also covered.
The controversial rule requiring graves to be at least eight foot deep, which was deemed unworkable by local undertakers, has been removed, as national regulations allow for a lesser depth, following HSE approval.
A local assessment of Drumcliffe and Illaunamanagh burial grounds, in conjunction with the HSE, has been proposed to establish an achievable depth of graves in these council-owned cemetries.
The bye-laws, which will come into affect next month, will be reviewed in 12 months and reassessed based on experience during that time.
