Athy Councillor "Extremely Disappointed" As KCC Opts Against Taking Over Mother-And-Baby Burial Site

Wednesday, 14 October 2026 14:27

By Daniel Maher

She had asked council to seek the permission to take ownership of the lands

An Athy councillor has said she was "extremely disappointed" by the reply she received from Kildare County Council in relation to future ownership of St Mary's Cemetery in Athy.

Labour Councilor Aoife Breslin had asked for the council to seek the permission of the HSE to take over the ownership of the lands, which is a burial site containing some of those who died in the mother and baby homes.

It is commonly known as the Famine Graveyard, with those who worked in the Workhouse there being buried in the graveyard as well.

In response, KCC says it doesn't have the resources to take on the responsibility for any additional cemeteries in the county, and it is therefore advised that the cemetery should remain under the HSE’s remit.

Speaking on Kildare Today, Cllr Breslin believes "we need to acknowledge our past":

"I think we need to acknowledge our past, and part of that past is what happened to mother and babies in those homes.

"To apologise for our past mistakes, I think this graveyard needs to be in the ownership of Kildare County Council, so a complete revamp can be done on it.

She added that the graveyard is "in need of work".

"There are numerous mother and babies buried in this graveyard, it had been used by the hospital, there is a number of people buried there who mightn't have any family."

It is unclear how much it would cost for KCC to take ownership of the site, with Cllr Breslin saying that previous figures in relation to this are "quite old" and "slightly out of date".

The full interview can be heard below: