Grave anger as horses graze in Limerick cemetery

HORSE owners who have let their animals run into a graveyard are verbally abusing relatives grieving for their loved ones, it’s been claimed.

Up to 14 horses wandered into Mount St Oliver graveyard at the weekend, and began grazing on the turf before roaming freely around the area.

It’s understood some fouled around the grave areas.

Sinn Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan said he was contacted by a number of people who tried to remonstrate with the horse owners, but they were met with abuse which he described as “disgraceful” and “shocking”.

“I had a call from one resident, and when he challenged the horse owners with them, they abused him,” the City TD confirmed, “I was up there on Monday night. You’d go to a graveyard to feel some presence with a loved one, and it’s disgraceful to be disturbed in this way.”

“I’ve spoken to another resident who told me their family grave was damaged a couple of months ago too,” Mr Quinlivan added.

Limerick’s metropolitan district leader, Cllr Sarah Kiely has added it’s “very distressing” for people paying tribute to loved ones to have to experience.

Limerick City and County Council is now harvesting CCTV and is putting extra controls around the Old Cork Road side of the cemetery to help stop horses entering the graveyard.

A clean up of the area is also taking place at the moment, with Cllr Kiely adding: “This situation is being taken very seriously and I along with the council will do whatever is necessary to stop this.”

Limerick City and County Council has said it is “extremely disappointed” any person would allow their horses to wander around Mount St Oliver cemetery.

“It has been awfully upsetting for family members who have been visiting the graves to see the horses roaming freely or see what the animals did on or around the graves. This sort of thing should not be happening, but the question has to be asked: does the owner of the horses care? Perhaps the answer is no, because otherwise it would not have occurred,” said a local authority spokesperson.

A spokesperson confirmed that a clean-up has taken place, and a new boundary wall is being erected around the Old Cork Road side of the cemetery.

New pedestrian gates are also planned which will means horses cannot wander in.