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WHEN someone is visiting the grave of a loved one the last thing they want to see is litter strewn nearby – least of all on the grave itself. But that was the distressing scenario faced by Killarney woman Maria Klausner when she went to Aghadoe graveyard to tend to the resting place of her husband Albert during the week.

Dismayed at the sight of litter flung around, Maria said: “It is so disrespectful. There was rubbish everywhere." Dumping of rubbish at the graveyard is an ongoing problem, with bin charges set to make the situation worse, mourners fear. “All the rubbish is disgusting and disgraceful. People have no respect for the living never mind the dead,” said Maria.

People visiting the graveyard encounter everything from shoes to household goods dumped there. Maria said it was particularly upsetting because her late husband had a passion for maintaining the environment in pristine condition. “My husband was born in Austria but he loved Kerry and Ireland was home to him. It would have upset him to see all the rubbish,” she said. “I was extremely upset. I try to keep the grave looking well and go up there every day.”

Maria promptly rang Kerry County Council on the matter. “I am not one to complain but out of respect for my husband I felt I had to,” she said.
“I can’t understand such disrespect. I and other people have picked up rubbish from around graves so many times, not only household goods, but all kinds of rubbish.”

When Killarney Advertiser contacted Kerry County Council on the matter, it stated: “There has been a skip at that location for some time to cater for litter generated in the graveyard. Kerry County Council is aware of some issues arising and is currently in discussions with the local voluntary graveyard committee to try to reach a more effective solution.”

The question remains: How could even the most heartless of litter louts use a graveyard to dump their rubbish?