Burial, Cremation or Resomation

Traditionally the only way to say goodbye to a loved one was burial in a grave, whether it is an existing plot owned by the family or a new grave is purchased. Now we have the options of cremation and resomation. There are seven crematoria in Ireland, four in Dublin, and one in Cork, Belfast, Cavan and Shannon. We also have Europe’s first Resomation facility in Navan which opened in late 2023.

Burial

The question of being buried or cremated is truly based on personal choice and people choose one or other for different reasons. There is an obligation in Ireland for a new grave plot to be available to everybody, at a reasonable cost and within reasonable distance. In Kerry the local authority, Kerry County Council owns nearly all the cemeteries and a grave cannot be purchased before there is a need for it– only when someone has died. A new single plot in Kerry (almost every cemetery is Council owned) costs €500, two single plots is €1000 and three cost €1500. Generally a single plot will accommodate two or three coffin-burials over a generation; therefore two single plots (a double plot) will take up to six coffin-burials, and so forth- depending on the type of soil, coffin quality and timing between burials.

Cremation

Modern cremation is a very respectful and dignified process. Despite the fact that there is not a crematorium in the vicinity, we recommend that the funeral ceremony would take place local to where the person has lived and celebrated their faith. We offer the facilities of the Funeral Home to the family to hold their choice of ritual where people can come, sympathise, meet and celebrate the life. Most funerals involving cremation continue as if a burial were taking place, only altering by the fact that rather than leaving to travel to the cemetery, the hearse travels to the crematorium. The bereaved must decide if they wish to attend the crematorium or not. If they choose to attend, there are two options for them to consider- they can follow the hearse immediately after the Requiem Mass,  prayer service or reposing, or alternatively, they can postpone the journey until the following day, thereby allowing the family to gather with those who attend the service for refreshments or a meal afterwards. When attending the crematorium we make a specific booking and there is a 30 minute window allocated to the family on the specific day, which can be publicly announced or not.

The cremated remains (cremains) are returned to us at the Funeral Home within three to four days. We will hold them until the family wish to collect them, and they can be (1) buried in a new or existing grave, (2) scattered at a special location or (3) kept for safe keeping. Urns are used to hold the cremated remains, and can be made from cardboard, plastic, metals, ceramics or woods.

There is now a Columbarium Wall in Tralee, where one can buy a niche in which to place an urn and avoid the maintenance of a grave plot. The niche holds two urns and there is a granite engraved stone naming the person interred. Kerry County Council charge €1200 for this choice and Killarney Burial Ground also has a Columbarium Wall.

Resomation

Resomation, also known as Water Cremation or Green Cremation, is an alternative to flame cremation or burial. It is a gentle, green and eco-friendly end-of-life choice. A funeral involving Resomation is a familiar ceremony, similar to flame cremation but instead of using fire, water is used to return the body to calcium phosphate (ash) and is returned in an urn similar to cremation.

More information on the only Resomation facility in Ireland can be found at https://www.purereflections.ie/

Direct- Burial, Cremation or Resomation Service

This is a simple, straightforward immediate disposition of the body, with minimum delay, and is cost effective. A Direct funeral includes; removal of the deceased locally to our Funeral Home, preparation and dressing, provision of a respectable coffin, a hearse and driver for conveyance to the cemetery or crematorium, funeral arrangements interview and attendance at the ceremony, the date and time of which will be at the discretion of the funeral director. In the case of cremation, the (cremains) ashes will be returned to the family in Tralee. Payments made on the family’s behalf are the doctor/coroner’s fees, cemetery caretaker offering and grave opening charges or crematorium charges.

Not everyone wishes to have a traditional or elaborate funeral ceremony with the body of the person present. It may be a person’s wish that “When I die, I just want my body taken to the crematorium and cremated without any fuss. I don’t want anyone else there.”