Anger over shock Mayo hike in price of burying loved ones

Burial costs across Mayo have skyrocketed following a shock New Year price hike.

From yesterday (Monday, January 6) a single plot now costs €600 - an increase of €200 on the previous charge - while a double plot costs €1,200 (up €400).

A treble plot – which Mayo County Council says will only be sanctioned in ‘exceptional circumstances” – costs €2,000.

There are currently 126 burial grounds under the control of Mayo County Council.

New charges are also being applied for opening and closing a grave in the New Cemetery, Castlebar.

Opening and closing a grave on a weekday now costs €738 when 23 per cent VAT is taken into account.

The charge at weekends is now €1,476 (VAT included).

The increases have been described by Michael Kilcoyne, a member of Mayo County Council and an undertaker by profession, as 'shocking and hard to justify'.

He told The Connaught Telegraph: “I expected some adjustment but certainly not an increase of 50 per cent.

“Unfortunately, we as councillors have no say in the charges.”

Castlebar New Cemetery is the only graveyard in the country where plots are opened and closed by the local authority.

Councillor Kilcoyne described the opening and closing charges as they relate to Castlebar as “huge, probably the highest in the country”.

He added: “The weekend charge can only be described as off the wall.”

The new local authority charges are being implemented in the same week that the RIP.ie website for the first time has imposed a fee of €100 (excluding VAT) on all death notices published.

“All of the new charges combined will add significantly to the cost of burying a loved one,” Councillor Kilcoyne stated.

“It’s terrible to treat people like this when they are at their most vulnerable."