Glasnevin Cemetery has delayed planned refurbishment works at its Angels' plot to give families more time to prepare and have their concerns addressed.
More than 1,000 families have already been to the plot, where newborn infants or premature babies are buried, to remove personal mementoes from shared graves over the past two weeks after the cemetery said it was planning to renovate the plot and create a remembrance garden.
The cemetery said today it was pushing back the works to allow those families who could not attend by October 12th the chance to take away the mementoes, and to give families who had concerns the chance to discuss them with the cemetery and the Irish Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (Isands), the official NGO for bereaved parents of stillborn children.
Some parents had placed mementoes such as toys and wind chimes on the graves. However, in recent weeks, Glasnevin Cemetery had placed notices in newspapers asking families to remove the items before works began on October 12th.
A group of parents has objected to the removal of personal memorials.
However, Glasnevin Cemetery said the works would go ahead in keeping with the wishes of the "significant majority" of families associated with the plot, and promised no graves would be disturbed as part of the renovation.
Glasnevin Trust, which operates the cemetery, said it had consulted with thousands of families on the plans, and appreciated the response of the majority of families to its request.
"At the same time, we appreciate there are some people who are against this initiative and we continue to be available to listen to them and explain our plan to them, however we cannot allow a minority of people to dictate to the majority of families who want the plot to be renovated so that all burials in shared graves are honoured with equal dignity," said chief executive George McCullough.
"In addition, this renovation will ensure that the Angel's graves are permanently memorialised and maintained in perpetuity - beyond the lifetimes of all concerned.
"It is not the intention to add to any family's sense of grief, bereavement or loss over the death of their child or children, in fact it is quite the opposite."
There are up to 40,000 burials in shared graves in the new Angels plot, with up to 30 burials in each grave. Consultation on the plans began in May, but Glasnevin Cemetery said it did not have access to all the names and addresses of the families of those buried in the plot. However, it said several hundred new consultations had taken place since the notices appeared in the media.
Once the renovations, which are similar to refurbishment undertaken at an older Angels' Plot in the graveyard, are complete, families will be able to leave cut flowers on shared graves, but presents will be removed after a short time. Glasnevin cemetery said those who want stone and marble memorials near the new Angels plot can arrange to have them permanently installed at a dedicated place beside the plot.
The plans also include the option for families to inscribe babies' names and dates of birth on the dedicated shared headstones on graves of those buried from 1987 onwards. Those whose children were buried between 1970 and 1986 can have their babies' names and dates of birth inscribed on shared headstones on the periphery of the plot.
Families will also be given the option to dedicate one of the 1,400 rose bushes in the the plot to their baby, but no decision has been made about reported charges for the upkeep of the plaques and bushes.