Burial grounds or cemeteries in Ireland are the responsibility of the local authorities, who operate many of them and appoint a registrar or caretaker for each of their burial ground to manage the sale of plots in that site, and in some cases to maintain the burial grounds. If you would like to purchase a burial plot, you can contact your local authority to get the contact details of this registrar.
Layout information:
- It is possible to bury a loved one outside an official burial ground, for example, on family land. However, it is quite difficult and something best left to those who have preplanned their funeral as it may be impossible to do, legally, at short notice.
- Grave spaces have to be at least 9 ft long by 4 ft wide or at least 6 ft long by 3 ft wide in the case of children less than 12 years of age. At the time of the first interment or burial at a grave space, it should typically be sunk to a depth of at least 8 ft.
- It is also permissible to reopen a grave in order to bury a member of the same family, but a space of at least one foot above the previous burial must be left. Generally, it is possible to bury three to four persons in each grave space.
Looking after burial plots:
- Caretakers and voluntary groups often maintain burial grounds in their area.
- Gravestones - Typically, the funeral directors you employ to look after funeral arrangements will arrange the construction and installation of a headstone. It is necessary to obtain permission before erecting headstones, but the funeral directors will arrange this also. Headstones/memorials are generally subject to a maximum height of 7 ft.
Rates
The cost of buying a burial plot varies widely from 500 to 15,000 euro.