A VERDANT meadow festooned with wild flowers; a grove of oaks beside a bubbling brook — a peaceful place for quiet reflection.
That
is often what comes to mind when imagining our final farewell, but the
reality tends to be a veneered chipboard coffin planted in a sea of
marble, granite and concrete.
Colin McAteer is planning to change all that by creating a network of natural burial grounds around the country that reflect environmental concerns and a growing desire by many to make a simpler final exit.
Colin McAteer is planning to change all that by creating a network of natural burial grounds around the country that reflect environmental concerns and a growing desire by many to make a simpler final exit.
Already, his business, The Green
Graveyard Company, opened Ireland’s first natural burial ground in
Killane, Co Wexford, last October and plans are in place to repeat that
in Cork and Galway, and possibly Dublin.
"We often hear people talk about where they would like their final resting place to be," says Colin, who also runs a fourth-generation, conventional funeral directors business in his native Donegal. "Often they describe a green place with trees, flowers and wildlife in abundance. Conventional Irish graveyards often fall a long way short of these wishes.
"A natural burial ground is a graveyard where the land has a second use, as a living, developing native Irish woodland. Gone are the marble headstones and concrete surrounds, replaced by a small simple grave marker and the planting of a native Irish tree.
"Visitors will be able to walk along the pathways surrounded by nature, spotting wildlife in the newly created habitats."
While none of the burial places will be considered consecrated ground, each plot can be blessed or solemnised and the burial performed in accordance with the deceased’s faith.
"These natural burial grounds will be sacred retreats where people of all faiths and those without any religion will find a beautiful resting place. Of course, we can accommodate church burials. In fact, we had one recently in Wexford where the individual grave was consecrated."
Although a new concept in Ireland, natural burial grounds are commonplace in other countries, particularly in Britain, where more than 250 such sites have been developed. Other countries have followed suit, including the US, Canada and Australia.
He is particularly excited about plans for the Cork location. "In Cork we have the opportunity to create a beautiful and peaceful retreat from the city in a location which is already well known to people of the area for its connections with funerals — many of whom would have crossed this land while walking to the old local cemetery for funerals or to visit the graves of their deceased."
While some local authority might have misgivings, they could also see green burials as a money-saving prospect.
"We often hear people talk about where they would like their final resting place to be," says Colin, who also runs a fourth-generation, conventional funeral directors business in his native Donegal. "Often they describe a green place with trees, flowers and wildlife in abundance. Conventional Irish graveyards often fall a long way short of these wishes.
"A natural burial ground is a graveyard where the land has a second use, as a living, developing native Irish woodland. Gone are the marble headstones and concrete surrounds, replaced by a small simple grave marker and the planting of a native Irish tree.
"Visitors will be able to walk along the pathways surrounded by nature, spotting wildlife in the newly created habitats."
While none of the burial places will be considered consecrated ground, each plot can be blessed or solemnised and the burial performed in accordance with the deceased’s faith.
"These natural burial grounds will be sacred retreats where people of all faiths and those without any religion will find a beautiful resting place. Of course, we can accommodate church burials. In fact, we had one recently in Wexford where the individual grave was consecrated."
Although a new concept in Ireland, natural burial grounds are commonplace in other countries, particularly in Britain, where more than 250 such sites have been developed. Other countries have followed suit, including the US, Canada and Australia.
He is particularly excited about plans for the Cork location. "In Cork we have the opportunity to create a beautiful and peaceful retreat from the city in a location which is already well known to people of the area for its connections with funerals — many of whom would have crossed this land while walking to the old local cemetery for funerals or to visit the graves of their deceased."
While some local authority might have misgivings, they could also see green burials as a money-saving prospect.
"Because
they are semi-wild places, they are far cheaper to maintain than
traditional graveyards and there are savings in other ways as well,"
says Colin.
"In choosing a natural or green burial you will be creating, conserving and sustaining native Irish woodland. It is a gift that will keep on giving to future generations."
* For information, go to www.greengraveyard.com
"In choosing a natural or green burial you will be creating, conserving and sustaining native Irish woodland. It is a gift that will keep on giving to future generations."
* For information, go to www.greengraveyard.com