Kilcully group to discuss its next steps

A meeting is due to take place soon to discuss the next steps the Kilcully Community Action Group can take.

The group was formed after thousands of euro worth of damage was caused at St Catherine's Cemetery in Kilcully about eight months ago, with a garda investigation ongoing.

The group has raised some money through a GoFundMe page and from local councillors, however it is not enough to cover the costs of repairing what was damaged.

The group is meeting next week to discuss what its next steps are and its plans for the future.

Sinn Féin Cllr Mick Nugent said that some families took it upon themselves to repair the damage while another person, who wishes to stay anonymous, paid for some graves to be mended.

Cllr Nugent said: “There’s a shortfall in money and it’s not clear where or how the group can make it up. Next week’s meeting will explore what options there is. There’s been a cross party support since the damage was first noticed and we've been in regular contact with the group since it happened.

“The upset doesn’t go away when something like this happens. This isn’t something that you easily get over but maybe if you knew who did it and why, it might bring some closure.”

In a Facebook post announcing next week’s meeting, the group was eager to state that it is not involved in the criminal garda investigation, nor does anyone in the group have any information about it.

The post said: “With the donations that we received, it is not sufficient to cover damages cause by this tragic event. As a committee we are asking one representative from the family of graves that were affected to attend and meet at the Commons Inn Hotel next week. The purpose of the meeting is to decide what the next steps are in relation to the damages at Kilcully graveyard.”

Meanwhile gardaí are continuing to investigate what happened at the cemetery.

“They (gardaí) are pleased to inform you that the investigation is at an advanced stage and we will be hoping to bring you a positive update on the next few weeks,” added the Facebook post.