Athy gets new Cremation Chapel

A new service for the bereaved has opened in Athy which could save grieving families a two-hour round trip on one of their worst days.

In the last week of April, Thompson’s Funeral Directors on Mount Hawkins opened a ‘cremation’ chapel at their premises, thus removing the need for the round trip to either Newland’s Cross, Mount Jerome, or Glasnevin.

“It’s basically 36 miles to our nearest crematorium, and so few people go to church nowadays, our cremation chapel is to save people the ordeal of an hour’s drive to Dublin, and then back, for what is probably a 15-minutes service,” said Martin Thompson.

“We have set the new room up as a chapel, there are screens for live streaming or a slide show, and the curtain closes when the service is over.

“Then we will take the remains to Dublin – usually Mount Jerome – which saves the bereaved family from having to do it."

He added: “To be honest, I’ve been in Dublin twice this week already, and Monday (bank holiday) was a pleasure because there was no trucks, but you’re asking people to go up a three-lane motorway, not knowing who is going to cut you off next.

“It really hit us here six months ago , an elderly lady died and there was just six in the family, and we had to drive to Dublin, and five of them said they just couldn’t go, which was very sad."

Martin Thompson and his family opened up their business in September 2015 – “so we’re very new”.

Martin’s background was originally in hospitality and he began working in the funeral business part-time when he lived in the UK.

“That’s where I got my feet wet, I dabbled when we came back before launching fulltime,” he said.

“It is fully a family thing. My wife Ann is an accountant who was semi-retired, and she did a funeral director's course, before we were joined by my son Stuart, and daughter Jennifer.

“I have sat on the board of directors of the Irish Society of Funeral Directors."

Changing industry

Martin noted that funerals and undertaking was changing.

“When we came in we were told it is a slow industry to change, but there is a lot of change going on right now.

“From Athy all the way up to Dublin it’s all big companies, so the corner shop fella like up is fading away – like the publican trying to get his son to take over a pub he doesn’t want.

“There are seven crematoria in the country, but before 1981 you had to go to Belfast if you wanted to be cremated.

“Nowadays, funerals are becoming more sociable, and they are becoming a community meeting point."