Tusla is not commenting after a three-month-old baby was found unattended in a Kerry graveyard.
Last week, gardaí were called after an infant was found in a pram at Rath Cemetery in Tralee; it’s understood a commemoration to mark the anniversary of a loved one’s death had taken place in the graveyard in advance.
On Thursday morning last, the caretaker in Rath contacted gardaí after a three-month-old baby girl was found unattended in a pram.
Later that day, Tusla, the child and family agency, failed in its court application to take temporary custody of the child. The three-month-old girl was unharmed.
The agency said to Radio Kerry it doesn’t comment on individual cases and added that if anyone is concerned about the safety of a child, they should contact their local duty social work office.
Radio station Tipp FM and online paper Tipperary Live have both reported about graveside parties in recent months; public representatives in the county said visitors to a Cashel graveyard felt intimidated by the regular parties, while claims were also made that partygoers were holding commemorations at gravesides, bringing chairs and slabs of cans.
Kerry County Council, which maintains Rath Cemetery, says the issue of parties or gatherings of that nature in Kerry burial grounds is generally not an issue.
The council adds it would rarely receive complaints about graveyard parties, adding that any anti-social behaviour, if it occurs, would be a matter for gardaí.
