Madam, – Alison Healy’s insightful article (Home News, October 3rd) highlighting opposition by a group of parents who do not wish to remove their personal memorials from shared graves in the Angels’ Plot in Glasnevin Cemetery, has been a poignant reminder of our loss too.
In 1971 our first child was buried in the Angels’ Plot and years later when we eventually visited the cemetery we found a plethora of grave plaques and mementos positioned at the site of her communal grave in memory of other babies interred in the same grave. Indeed, such was the amount of personal memorials placed by other parents that it prevented us erecting a small cross in memory of our daughter.
As parents we still suffer from the same pain and are entitled to an equal respect for our bereavement. Consequently, the plans envisaged by the authorities in Glasnevin Cemetery for a remembrance garden would seem to give equal respect to all our little angels who lie buried therein, and their instruction to other parents to remove any personal memorabilia is in keeping with that ethos of equal respect for all. – Yours, etc,