Mount Jerome Crematorium operator pays out dividend of €5.1m

Privately owned business at Harold’s Cross made payment last year to Alan Massey entity

The operator of the Mount Jerome Crematorium at Harold’s Cross in Dublin last year paid a dividend of €5.1 million.

New accounts show that Alan Massey-owned Orlette Ltd paid out the dividend as post-tax profits last year increased by 37 per cent to €714,136.

The dividend was paid to Mr Massey’s Toprise Associates Ltd. Toprise recorded profits of €5 million as a result.

The privately owned crematorium company has delivered consistently strong profits over recent years.

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The profits of €714,136 last year followed profits of €519,569 in 2020, €510,673 in 2019 and €424,992 in 2018.

Cremation fee

The dividend payout last year reduced the company’s accumulated profits from €5.8 million to €1.44 million.

The crematorium’s website shows that the business’s adult cremation fee is €415.

The largest operator in the sector in the capital is the not-for-profit Glasnevin Crematorium Ltd which operates three crematoriums at Newlands Cross, Glasnevin and Dardistown.

Recently filed accounts show Glasnevin Crematorium Ltd last year recorded profits of €1.08 million, which was stable on the previous period. Revenues last year grew from €2.8 million to €3.075 million.

The company distributes its profits to its controlling party and registered charity, the Dublin Cemeteries Committee. It last year paid a net €1 million to the charity.

Glasnevin Crematorium Ltd carried out 2,995 cremations last year, marginally up on the 2,983 recorded in 2020.

A breakdown of the company’s revenues in 2021 show that it recorded €2.35 million from cremations and related activity, €509,150 from columbarium wall (for the storage of funeral urns) income, €194,997 from the burial of ashes and a €15,000 Dublin City Council heritage grant.

At the end of December last year, the company had reserves of €3.6 million.

Gordon Deegan

Gordon Deegan

Gordon Deegan is a contributor to The Irish Times