Annaghdown is on the shores of Lough Corrib. It is a beautiful location but along with that comes comes national heritage area, NHA, and special area of conservation, SAC, restrictions. It is about 12 miles from Galway. This is a matter of public interest as only one burial plot remains. The local community set up the Annaghdown cemetery committee in May 2013 - just over two years ago - and it has exhausted every avenue. It worked with the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht's office to extend the current graveyard and to explore other suitable sites. It identified another nearby site of 3.4 or 3.5 acres but that would cost €100,000. The entire budget for Galway County Council for cemeteries for the year is €100,000. This is not viable. The maximum amount of money Galway County Council will pay is €10,000 an acre.

When the committee surveyed the local community, everyone in Annaghdown, some 200 people in total, was looking to buy burial plots. It struck me quite forcefully that the people who were most exercised about this were young people. They felt it absolutely essential that within their parish they would have available to them a burial plot. Last Monday morning I met a delegation from Annaghdown cemetery committee at a meeting facilitated by the good cathaoirleach of Galway County Council, Councillor Mary Hoade. In attendance were all other Deputies and public representatives. That was the first time I realised the absolute impending crisis and seriousness of this matter. One woman said that if she was buried in another cemetery, be it Killachunna, Creggs or Claregalway, she would personally come back to haunt those present. Such is the depth of feeling and worry about the fact that there is only one site left. Where will people go when they need to be buried? This is a crisis. My request, which I am asking the Minister to relay to the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Heather Humphreys, is to have her use her discretion, as has been done in the past and I have the precedents, to give permission to extend Annaghdown cemetery.

The cemetery is within the shadow of a national monument. There have been extensive digs and so forth and all that has been found - listen to this - is iron ore and some buttons. When the National Library was contacted, it said it was not interested and to store them in a garage. That does not sound hectic to me, but the public need and the public good is very important in this situation. I spoke to the previous Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Deenihan. He granted an extension to Clogheen graveyard in Tipperary and I spoke to the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes, this morning who said that it has been very successful. Other exceptions are on the record, including exceptions for Kerry, Cork, Athlone Castle, Athlone Art Gallery, the Medieval Walls of Athenry and Turoe Stone in Galway. I have a list of a number of other areas. I think the Minister gets the picture. It is of impending public interest locally in Annaghdown and I ask the Minister to facilitate this request for an extension to Annaghdown graveyard.