A new Columbarium Wall will give people with a connection to Benburb the opportunity to have the ashes of loved ones forever housed within the historic Priory grounds.
It is a major break with tradition for the Servite Community, as currently only Servite friars can be buried within the Priory estate.
But the creation of a Columbarium Wall – set within a beautiful garden of prayer and reflection – would see that change.
Now anyone with a direct connection to the Co Tyrone village will be able to have their cremated remains placed within the wall.
An information evening, to register interest in the plans, is due to take place next Wednesday, June 17, when locals will have the chance to hear what is proposed.
Joseph O’Neill, founder and managing director of Eternum (NI) Ltd, will be present to provide further details and answer any questions.
And ahead of that meeting, Mr O’Neill – whose company has been creating hand-crafted columbaria for around six years ago – spoke to Armagh I to outline the benefits as an alternative to burial and what might be expected at Benburb.
He explained: “We have one at the minute in Ennis in County Clare, in the cathedral there. It’s been really popular and I’m working with other churches around Ireland. We have a planning application in for the Cathedral in Cavan as well, and then we’re working with churches in Athlone too.
“In Benburb, we’re working with the Priory, because a lot of people are finding it difficult to find burial space. In addition to that, a lot of people would choose cremation anyway, but there are very little options for people when they have the ashes of their loved ones.
“We work with these organisations, install the columbaria, and just try and meet an unmet need. There are lots of people who don’t know where to put ashes of their loved ones or they just don’t want to be buried, and there’s very little options for them.
“Somewhere like Benburb, it’s a really beautiful location. You’ve got the castle, you’ve got the river. A lot of people would have a connection to that area and to the Priory there. It’s something the Board of the Priory are very interested in. It’s also a fundraiser for them as well, so that they can continue all of the work that they do there.”
At this stage, the meeting will provide an indication of interest from the local community.
And that would determine the scale of what is put in place.
Explained Mr O’Neill: “In Benburb, we plan, in total, eight curved walls that would form four little courtyards. They are made of granite, so they are enduring and long-lasting. Each wall would have approximately 90 niches and each niche would take at least two urns, depending on the size.
“Basically what we want to do is to create a memorial garden, so people can put the ashes of their loved ones, but also it’s a space where they can come, spend some time, they can go for a walk whenever they come, they can pray or do whatever it is that they want to do.
“It’s just really we want to create these little courtyards where people can come and spend some time and just in a really nice location where they can lay their loved ones to rest.
“Because it’s in quite a significant location, the planning will take at least three months. Once we get the planning approval, then we can have the things made. It is going to be probably, I would say, five to six months away, but that’s the reason why we’re having the information evening, to get an idea of interest in the project because, if there’s no interest really, we need to re-evaluate.
“We want to see how much interest there is. Are people willing to put their names down and register interest? Then we can see what’s the best way forward.
“It is going to happen. The meeting is to decide do we install one wall at the start or do we install two or three? Things can be installed in phases, but this meeting it just to get an idea of interest, so then we can decide how many we install at the start.”
The idea of a Columbarium Wall is by no means new.
But certainly, as far as Mr O’Neill’s company is concerned, this is the first they have been involved with in Northern Ireland.
He explained: “A lot of people actually keep ashes at home, because they don’t really know what to do with them. And there are a lot of people who choose cremation because they really hate the idea of being buried.
“There’s nothing new. The columbaria have been around for millennia. It’s just offering people something, a service that we’ve been short off here in Northern Ireland and Ireland as a whole.
“There are Columbaria Walls in some cemeteries, but a lot of the councils I found tend to react instead of being proactive. They’re not the prettiest things to look at, but my company, that’s our whole purpose. We design and install really beautiful columbaria that are meaningful and significant. As I say, it’s about giving people choice.
“Most of our work has been in the Republic, but the one in Benburb will be the first one that we’ve opened in the North.”
According to Benburb Priory, the project is “still in its early stages”, but the addition of the columbarium would “provide a peaceful, dignified resting place in the tranquil surroundings of Benburb Priory”.
As “burial space becomes increasingly limited and facilities for ashes remain scarce”, it would offer “those with a connection to Benburb, as well as friends and neighbours of the Priory, the opportunity to have their remains laid to rest in this special place of prayer, solitude and community”.
Following the information meeting, and if all goes according to plan, the new Columbarium Wall could “potentially” be in place before the end of the year and would present a new alternative, not least for those who have left these shores.
“The one that we have in Ennis, the majority of the people who have bought one (a niche) live in Ennis,” said Mr O’Neill. “But a lot of people who don’t, but maybe have a connection to Ennis, people from America, Canada, Australia, have bought them, because they really want to be buried in Ireland, where they were from, or maybe where their parents or grandparents were from. It really is a popular way for people to return home, as it were.”
The information evening, due to start at 7.30pm on Wednesday, June 17, will take place in the Blue Room, Benburb Priory, which can be accessed via the Stables Courtyard.
