• Removal of several trees on the plot by cutting them down to ground level. This has been completed.
• Re-align the memorial plaques on the perimeter of the plot. Proposed for end of February 2010.
• Complete the renovation of the pathways and kerbing in the vicinity of the plot. Proposed for the end of February 2010.
• Landscaping the pre 1987 section to make the ground levels uniform and even. This is scheduled for April/May.
• Landscaping of post 1987 sections will commence thereafter.
• Glasnevin Trust assures all families of Angels buried in the plot that no graves will be disturbed during the renovation. The work will be expertly and sensitively undertaken as was the case in the work undertaken in the renovation of the Old Angels Plot, elsewhere in the Cemetery, in 2005.
• The landscaping process involves the levelling of the uneven ground through the placement of 300-600mm of topsoil over the existing grounds and this topsoil will then be levelled to avoid any future subsidence of the plot.
• We are continuing to improve all areas of the cemetery, including the area around the New Angels’ Plot, so as to make the cemetery an even more dignified place to visit.

Hi everyone,

On the 26th June we posted an announcement from the Management of Glasnevin Cemetery; you can read it under the General post on the forum or on our main website home page.
In response to several new posts from distressed parents in the last few days I will try to explain the current situation as best I can.

"We extend our sincerest apologies for causing any upset or distress to parents or families who have loved ones interred in the Angels' Plots in Glasnevin Cemetery as a result of the work done to maintain the area.

It is NOT our intention to in any way add to the burden of loss and bereavement, it is in fact, the reverse.

As the Angels' Plots are shared resting places we must maintain the area in a way that is fair to everyone concerned.   Central to this is the principle is that no one family has priority over another in the way that they commemorate the shared graves.  This means that, following the first period of mourning, all graves should look and be maintained in the same way.  They are all grassed over forming a well tended lawn without any personal effects or borders. Children's names can of course be inscribed on the headstone provided by the Cemetery and there are other forms of commemoration that we are planning to offer in the near future which are outlined below.  At any given time there will be personal effects from more recent burials visible in the area.

The Cemetery has provided this unique area to the people of Dublin for [over 45 years]. In that time many thousands of families have laid their child to rest in the Angels' Plots and we are privileged to maintain these sacred grounds for everyone's mutual benefit in perpetuity.  Each year a special effort is made in preparation for Angels' Sunday which is when the most noticeable maintenance work is done on the graves and the surrounding plant and tree life.

If you have any ideas, suggestions or indeed any issues which will be of help or assistance to us in providing this service we are more than willing to listen and consider how we can better manage the area for the greater good.

We have no way of contacting you as your address or contact details are not made available to us.

It is planned in the near future to establish a commemorative rose garden on the site of the current Angels plot. I would like to use this opportunity to consult with you in the way forward to making this special place somewhere we can all take pride in - a dignified place that together we can maintain with pride into the future."

George McCullough
CEO
Dublin Cemeteries Committee
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
01 8301133

Proposed plan for the New Angles Plot

The Isands Online Discussion Forum is now live. Click here to read the posts and register if you wish to contribute a message.

We had a lovely day in the historic surroundings of Croke Park for the launch of our new ISANDS website by Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney. Minister Harney spoke compassionately about the ongoing journey of loss it is for a family who are bereaved and the value of support. She congratulated ISANDS on the new website and paid tribute to those who put it all together and particularly Colm & Niamh Lyon, our benefactors. Minister Harney said she was particularly taken with the new Virtual Remembrance Quilt.