‘They were inseparable’ – Meath woman campaigns so father can ‘safely’ visit late wife’s grave
A Meath woman has sparked major public concern over the weekend closure of St Declan’s Graveyard in Ashbourne, after more than 600 people signed a petition demanding safe access to the cemetery.
Michelle Matthews (59) launched the petition on behalf of her 81-year-old father, Tommy, who visits the grave of his late wife Mary every day.
Mary, his wife of 61 years, died last September, and tending to her grave has become central to his daily routine. The couple had nine children together.
“They were inseparable. They spent every second with each other and would never go anywhere without the other — you could say they were attached at the hip,” Ms Matthews said.
“My father was devastated when my mother died last year at 80. It’s been so hard and sad for him not being able to go talk to her on Saturdays and Sundays. I saw how this was getting to him and I knew I had to do something.”
Currently, St Declan’s allows vehicle access only on weekdays until 3.15pm, despite having a large internal car park that remains closed to the public outside those hours.
The arrangement leaves elderly and mobility-impaired visitors facing significant difficulty, Ms Matthews said.
At weekends, the cemetery gates remain locked — forcing visitors to park along the “dangerous”, fast-moving N2 and cross the road on foot, a situation she has called “an accident waiting to happen”.
“This has been an issue for years and now it has become very personal for me because we lost my mother in September last year,” Ms Matthews said.
“My father is 81 years of age. He has Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He has bone cancer. He is not able to walk. He is very frail. He’s actually quite healthy — but he cannot walk.”
“He goes up to the graveyard every single day to visit my mother’s grave, but because the council shuts the gates on a Saturday and a Sunday, he can’t go, because it means having to park the car on the extremely busy N2.”
“This road is notoriously dangerous. It’s known for how dangerous it is. There should be a motorway there now — it’s just such a busy road.”
Ms Matthews said her campaign is about far more than her own family.
“I’m doing this for the whole community, for all elderly people, families with children and anyone with limited mobility who wants to visit their departed loved ones safely,” she said.
“Weekends are when most people have time to come, yet they cannot access the cemetery without risk.”
Her petition, titled “St. Declan’s Graveyard, Ashbourne — Open the gates at weekends!”, calls for the cemetery gates to be opened on Saturdays and Sundays and for extended opening hours — until 8pm in summer and 5pm in winter — to allow safe and reasonable community access.
At the November meeting of the Ashbourne Municipal District, Fine Gael councillor Alan Tobin called on the council to redesign the entrance of St Declan’s Cemetery to improve safety and accessibility for visitors.
Cllr Tobin submitted a motion requesting that the cemetery entrance be modified to allow safe, designated daily access for relatives visiting the graves of loved ones, making use of existing parking spaces inside the grounds.
The council said that when the gates are locked, visitors park at the gateway and on the verge of the N2. Hence, the Ashbourne MD Engineer intends to review “operational arrangements at St Declan’s Cemetery, in particular access times.”
They added that currently, access to the public is only allowed during a funeral.
"The N2 is a busy road, and when the gates are closed, up to four cars can park outside the gates, all of which must reverse out onto this busy road.”
Ms Matthews said her petition is not “just about convenience” but also about “safety and human dignity”.
“Everyone, especially the elderly, has a basic human right to visit their departed loved ones safely,” she added.