The Letterkenny council is searching for suitable locations for a new communal burial ground to serve the whole community.
It is hoped that the new graveyard would provide for people of all religious, ethnic, and cultural variations.
Once a suitable area is identified, plans will be put forward in the Letterkenny Area Plan for consideration in early 2021.
Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh today reiterated a call by elected members for a new Municipal burial ground in the town.
“Letterkenny is very much a changed town, it has a huge new community and the demographic has changed,” Cllr Kavanagh said.
Cllr Kavanagh said he has been approached by local ethnic groups who have no place to bury loved ones, while others have to travel to Derry.
Letterkenny’s increasing population should pave the way for a suitable ground for everyone, Cllr Kavanagh said: “A lot of people have been here for a long time, since the 80s and 90s, worked all their lives here and brought up their families here and made a considerable contribution to the community in Letterkenny and County Donegal. And yet they have no place to call their own when it comes to burial.”
Attempts to find a suitable place have been unsuccessful in the past, but the council has now confirmed that the Water and Environment Directorate is leading out a search for suitable locations. If sites are identified, they will be presented to elected members for their consideration in terms of including one in the Draft Plan for public consultation.