The saying "going to a watery grave" usually refers to a burial at sea but in Newport, Co Tipperary, it refers to the local graveyard.
Local residents and Fine Gael councillor Tom Berkery have highlighted serious incidents of flooding at the Rockvale graveyard, located on the outskirts of the town close to the Mulcair River.
Flooding in recent months has angered relatives of people interred in the graveyard, many of whom were forced to desist from visiting the graves.
Environmental concerns have also been raised because of fears run-off and leachate from the graveyard could find its way into the Mulcair River, a major trout and salmon source fished by anglers from all over Europe.
Cllr Berkery said incidents of flooding at the graveyard in recent months had proved distressing for families who came to visit graves only to find them submerged.
"It's a serious and distressing situation that is happening up there in times of heavy rain. Some relatives of loved ones can't even put up headstones or kerbstones. It's also quite distressing if water is higher than the graves if people come to visit," he said.
Council area engineer Michael Woulfe said the graveyard covered five to six acres and the water table was extremely high.
He confirmed that, due to the river, the table was above ground in parts of the graveyard .
"There is also a bigger environmental concern with regard to the presence of corpses and the prospect of pollution to groundwater and the watercourse," he said.
Mr Woulfe added that the council would be addressing the matter over the summer months in an attempt to alleviate the possibility of flooding next winter.
"The council will have to get advice on this matter and I will be consulting with the environmental department on the problem," he said.