Family exhume and rebury Mayo dad after his last wishes become apparent

A MAYO man who indicated in his last will and testament that he wanted to be laid to rest in his native parish has had his wishes fulfilled following the granting of an exhumation licence by Mayo County Council.

The deceased passed away suddenly at Mayo University Hospital (MUH) last year and was initially buried in a cemetery in the county close to where he lived most of his adult life with his wife and family.

However, it was only when his will was processed that his grieving wife and other family members realised he wanted to be buried in a different cemetery close to where he grew up.

An application was made to Mayo County Council for an exhumation order and, earlier this summer, the remains were exhumed and moved to a cemetery in the west of the county, about 32 kilometres away.

Such exhumations are extremely rare in Mayo although there have been two already this year.

The other exhumation involved a man from the east Mayo area whose wife wanted him exhumed so that his remains could be cremated and brought to the United States where she is now living.

When asked by The Connaught Telegraph if exhumations are a regular occurrence in Mayo, the Coroner for the District of Mayo, Pat O’Connor, said that in his 34 years as a coroner, he had never come across any up to this year when there have been two.

In Ireland, exhumation – the removal of a dead body from the ground after it has been buried – can only take place in certain circumstances.

Regulations stipulate that the person who died must be treated with respect and the privacy of their family and friends must be protected.

Exhumation licences are issued by local authorities. A local authority may refuse such a licence in cases where the consent of the next of kin has not been given.