Northern Ireland

Cemeteries should accommodate bespoke headstones, says Belfast memorial mason

Loretta Nolan beside her daughter Emma's grave, and right, Mary Magee beside her son Eamonn's headstone, both in Hannahstown Cemetery. Pictures by Mal McCann
Loretta Nolan beside her daughter Emma's grave, and right, Mary Magee beside her son Eamonn's headstone, both in Hannahstown Cemetery. Pictures by Mal McCann Loretta Nolan beside her daughter Emma's grave, and right, Mary Magee beside her son Eamonn's headstone, both in Hannahstown Cemetery. Pictures by Mal McCann

MODERN-day headstones are becoming more individual and cemeteries are "going to have to start accommodating" different designs, a memorial mason has said.

It follows a row over some headstones at Hannahstown Cemetery on the outskirts of west Belfast.

Two families have told of being ordered to remove their loved ones' headstones within 28 days for "non-compliance" with cemetery rules.

A solicitor's letter was sent to 23-year-old Emma Nolan's family about her pink butterfly-shaped headstone. The family of murdered boxer Eamonn Magee jnr (22) also received a letter to remove his headstone, which is in the shape of a boxing glove.

The parish cemetery committee said a number of people have been asked to remove headstones erected "without approval" and in breach of regulations.

It expressed regret over distress caused, but said the rules are to ensure memorials are "suitable for the setting and that the dignity of the cemetery is maintained".

Both the Nolans and Magees plan to resist the move.

Memorial mason Stephen Wilson, of Sandy Row-based Belfast Memorials, said there was a trend towards more bespoke headstones, especially for younger people.

He said the availability of memorials from the likes of China and India has contributed to the shift in styles.

The 46-year-old said headstone regulations vary between graveyards, but he feels "cemeteries are going to have to start accommodating" for more bespoke designs.

"I really just think it's a sign of the times," the father-of-two said.

"It's the younger generation want different. They want something completely different."

He added: "People should be allowed to do their own type of memorial for their own loved one. I'm not talking about six-feet high – it should be within the height restrictions – but it should be allowed to be any shape and any colour."

Sharon McAuley, of O'Neill and Co Monumental Sculptors in west Belfast, agreed that there "absolutely" has been a trend towards more bespoke headstones.

"It can be anything from someone interested in music and you put music notes on a headstone, to somebody was a fisherman and you put in a fishing rod," she said.

"There has always been a bit of individuality. Your imagination is the only limit now in what can be done in stone.

"You still have to work within the regulations, and there are regulations in most cemeteries."

Among the more unusual headstones in Northern Ireland is comedian Frank Carson's in Milltown Cemetery, which includes the inscription, "It's quieter down here now. God help them up there!"

Also in Milltown is the grave of Gerry Conlon, one of the Guildford Four who were wrongly convicted of the 1974 Guildford IRA pub bombing. His headstone includes an image from after his release at the Old Bailey in 1989.

Former Belfast mayor Tom Hartley gives tours of City Cemetery and has written books on Balmoral, City and Milltown cemeteries.

"I always think headstones are really the fashion of their time. A hundred years ago it was angels and a very gothic style of stone. Today it has changed," the 73-year-old said.

He described how some headstones in City Cemetery now include depictions of musical instruments and revolutionary figures as well as humour, such as a headstone bearing the message, "Beam Me Up Lord."

But the former Sinn Féin councillor said he believes such burial grounds are coming to an end as more people opt for cremations.

"In Ireland we're still very traditional in our practice so burials are in the majority, but cremations are on the rise," he said.