Police called to meeting over ‘paganism’ dispute

Police called to meeting over ‘paganism’ dispute

29 March 2017

CONTROVERSY over plans to create Northern Ireland’s first green graveyard outside Downpatrick has deepened after a public meeting descended into chaos.

Police were called to Saul on Saturday afternoon following reports of a violent altercation at a meeting in Paddy’s Barn where plans for the proposed woodland burial site at Lough Money were on display.

Trouble broke out during a disagreement between two audience members about the perceived “paganism” of the project.

A man was physically assaulted following a tense exchange about paganism and a brawl ensued as members of the public attempted to restore calm.

The incident, which spilled into a room where dozens of American tourists were eating lunch, brought the meeting to an abrupt end.

This was the third public session hosted by the co-operative organisation, Down to Earth, in Saul as part of a pre-planning consultation exercise about the woodland burial project in which trees and wildflowers will replace traditional headstones, and cardboard and wicker used instead of wooden coffins.

The group, which has been working on the project for several years, is hoping to secure planning approval for the eco-graveyard, based on similar models across the UK and Ireland, on a 10-acre site overlooking Lough Money.

However, members received a a hostile reception at previous meetings when residents expressed concern about the potential impact on infrastructure and the nearby lake and complained about the lack of detail in the plans.

However, it was the perceived unChristian aspect of the burial ground, coined “neo-pagan” by one objector at a previous meeting, that led to Saturday’s melée.

Following Saturday’s incident, a Down to Earth spokesman said he was bitterly disappointed by the turn of events.

He said it was particularly unfortunate due to the overwhelmingly positive local reaction he had received behind the scenes.

“We have come together as a group to develop a more sustainable way of burial that is environmentally friendly and that involves native woodland and native flowers,” he said.

“We have hosted these meetings in a planning capacity and we feel the debate has been motivated by concerns of paganism that are not concerns of Down to Earth.

“Any accusations of paganism are irrelevant to what this project is about. We cannot understand why people are getting excited about something that is not a planning issue.

“Our position is that we are open to all faiths and people of no faith, that is who we are. People of all faiths have expressed an interest in the woodland burial idea.”

One supporter in attendance was Alan Hill, who travelled from Sligo in County Mayo to attend Saturday’s meeting after hearing about the project “in the shadow of St Patrick’s mountain”.

He said he was fascinated that an area steeped in “mythology, architecture and history and resonant for both communities in Northern Ireland” was being considered for a “very natural” graveyard.

“This is something I would expect to see a lot more of in generations to come,” he said. “I would be disappointed if the message went out that the community was reacting against it as the impression I got as an outsider was that the opposition was quite isolated.”

A local man, who asked not to be named but is a spokesman for a local committee concerned about the scheme, said he was “very disappointed” that an architect and engineer had not been in attendance as promised.

“We are very disappointed with the lack of information coming forward,” he said.

“We will meet councillors in the coming weeks to raise our concerns.”

Police have appealed for witnesses to Saturday’s incident, which happened at Paddy’s Barn at around 2.15pm, to contact them as part of their ongoing investigation on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 662 of 25/3/17.