ALMOST 150 people have been buried in a plot maintained for older people who die with no family or friend to claim them, according to the charity which maintains it.
Alone, the organisation that provides support to older people in need, yesterday marked its 35th anniversary with a commemoration ceremony at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin where its redesigned and landscaped millennium plot and plaque were unveiled.
The Ireland Funds provided finance towards the plot’s refurbishment. The plot was established in 1988 when Alone founder Willie Bermingham made a commitment that the charity would ensure no elderly person in Dublin would be buried in an unmarked grave. Since then 148 people have been buried in the plot.
Independent Senator David Norris, who unveiled the plaque dedicated to the memory of the charity’s service users and volunteers, said: “I have long been a supporter of Alone’s vital work in the community, and their commitment to the older people in need who they provide services for.”
During the ceremony individual flowers with the name of a person buried in the plot were laid by the plaque as music was played.