Plans are progressing for the development of a new graveyard in Crusheen.
Clare County Council has purchased lands in the village for the project and is now preparing to begin the Part VIII planning process.
The need for a new graveyard in Crusheen has long been acknowledged, with efforts underway seven years ago to find a suitable site.
At the time, Clare County Council examined a site on the Gort Road, which was ultimately deemed unsuitable.
Three years later, land became available 300 metres from Crusheen village, close to the existing Kyleawinna Graveyard and a full assement has since been carried out by the local authority.
The land has a dual purpose in that it has rail frontage and can therefor be developed for rail infrastructure in the future.
Clare County Council is due to begin the Part VIII process in the coming months and, ahead of that, a public consultation process will get underway.
Maghera Fianna Fáil Councillor Pat Hayes is among those who have driven the hard-fought project forward, and he says community engagement is vital to prevent any further stumbling blocks or delays.
The graveyards at Kyleawinna, Kiltulla, Inchicronan, as well as the adjoining graveyards in Kilraghtis, Kileedy and Tubber, are now all deemed closed, which means there can be no new burials in those areas.
Chairperson of the Inchicronan Development Group, Michael Browne, says this development will bring great solace to families, who will now be able to visit their loved ones within their own parish.
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