Fethard Lawn Cemetery has been opened by Tipperary County Council.
Located adjacent to the existing Calvary Cemetery, it provides a new cemetery for public use.
At the opening ceremony, which took place on 30 March 2026, Councillor David Dunne, Cathaoirleach of the Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District, who performed the official opening, noted that Calvary Cemetery, which had been provided in 1931, had reached capacity and that the need for additional burial ground facilities to serve the town of Fethard and surrounding area had become apparent. He stated that the Council had been committed to the provision of a new cemetery to serve the needs of the area and that it was natural and understandable that residents of the area would like to be interred in their locality and the Council was cognisant of that fact.
However, securing a suitable site was not always straightforward and, in that case, the Council, he stated, was fortunate that the adjoining landowner, Mrs. Patricia Maher, of Kilknockin, Fethard, was in a position to dispose of that portion of ground and he thanked her for her engagement and co-operation in that regard.
The new cemetery covers an area of approximately 1 hectare, or 2½ acres, and will accommodate a total of almost 1,000 grave plots, to be developed in three phases over a number of years according as demand dictates.
Pedestrian access to the Lawn Cemetery has been provided from Calvary Cemetery at a number of points. As well as affording ease of walking from one cemetery to the other, these access points will facilitate parking at Fethard Lawn Cemetery car park for persons attending interments and other events at Calvary Cemetery where parking facilities are somewhat restricted.
When Calvary Cemetery was opened in 1931, interment of deceased persons in a cemetery was the only means of the disposal of human remains. In recent times, cremation and other options have become available with increasing frequency. To reflect this change in practice, new cemeteries provided by Tipperary County Council include provision for the erection of a columbarium wall to facilitate the inurnment of human cremated ashes. There is provision in the design and layout of Fethard Lawn Cemetery for the erection of a columbarium wall, which will be proceeded with as and when demand dictates.
In addition, a dedicated row of what may be termed urn plots, has been provided. These plots will accommodate the inurment of cremated ashes in the traditional manner of interment in the ground. The provision of these urn plots offers an alternative choice to the bereaved in respect of the lasting resting place of their loved ones.
Fethard Lawn Cemetery is the first new cemetery provided by Tipperary County Council where such urn plots have been provided, albeit others are being retrofitted at other locations. This innovation reflects the Council’s response to emerging circumstances in the whole area of burial ground development and management.
Councillor Dunne thanked the various sub-contractors who worked on different elements of the construction of Fethard Lawn Cemetery, particularly Messrs. Martin, Eoin and Colm Morris of Derrygrath Lower, Cahir. He also thanked the Council’s own staff in the Environment and Climate Action Section for the design, preparatory and supervisory work carried out by them in the delivery of the project.
He further acknowledged the support for the project from his fellow Councillors in the Carrick-on-Suir District, particularly in respect of the Part 8 planning consent process.
Councillor Dunne was particularly pleased that the Council had been able to proceed with this community facility as the Council must provide for the capital cost of site acquisition and development of a new cemetery out of its own resources since no financial assistance comes from central government. Furthermore, he noted, income from the sale of gravespaces does not reflect the economic cost of their provision.
The new cemetery will be a lawn cemetery and will be known as Fethard Lawn Cemetery. It was blessed in a joint ceremony by Very Rev. Liam Everard, PP, Fethard and Killusty, assisted by Rev. Henry Mc Namara, OSA, Augustinian Abbey, Fethard, and by Very Rev. James Mulhall, Dean of Cashel, in his capacity as Priest-in-Charge of the Clonmel Union of Parishes.
The ceremony concluded with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque by Councillor Dunne.
The attendance included Councillor John Carroll, Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council, Deputy Michael Murphy, Councillors Michael Brennan and Mark Fitzgerald, Mr. Eamon Lonergan, Deputy Chief Executive, Mr. Denis Holland, Senior Engineer, who facilitated the event, and other staff from Tipperary County Council, representatives of local community groups and organisations, and members of the public.
