Invasive plant species concerns at cemetery in County Kildare
Concerns have been raised about an invasive plant species at Laraghbryan Cemetery in Maynooth.
The issue was raised by Fine Gael councillor Tim Durkan at the latest Clane-Maynooth Municipal District meeting on Friday, March 4.
In his motion, Cllr Durkan asked Kildare County Council (KCC) what preparations have been made for the expansion of the cemetery, which is when he added his concerns about Japanese knotweed in the area.
The plant, otherwise simply known as knotweed, is a weed that has caused a significant amount of damage under Irish homes as well as in gardens.
Fine Gael Cllr Tim Durkan
In fact, in summer time, knotweed can grow by a whopping ten centimetres per day, and prevents all other nearby plants from growing.
"We have to be careful about it, because if you disturb the knotweed, you can actually make it worse," Cllr Durkan explained: "I don't want it to spread any further than it already has."
He added that the Knotweed is most prevalent in the "vacant area of the cemetery, the older part of the cemetery, and the Maynooth Town-end."
In response to Cllr Durkan's original motion, KCC said that Laraghbryan Cemetery "has sufficient capacity, at current usage rates, for a further ten years."
KCC elaborated: "In addition, a Coumbarium Wall has been provided at this location."