Northern Ireland

Video: Disabled widower unable to drive into Milltown Cemetery to visit wife's grave

Jim McCabe was unable to drive into Milltown Cemetery to visit his wife's grave as the main gate remained locked causing people to queue. Pic: Mal McCann
Jim McCabe was unable to drive into Milltown Cemetery to visit his wife's grave as the main gate remained locked causing people to queue. Pic: Mal McCann Jim McCabe was unable to drive into Milltown Cemetery to visit his wife's grave as the main gate remained locked causing people to queue. Pic: Mal McCann

A DISABLED man who had been looking forward to visiting his wife's grave at Milltown Cemetery after weeks of closure was disappointed to find the main gate closed yesterday.

Jim McCabe (71), who has power down just one side of his body, arrived at the Belfast graveyard with his family well before the advertised 10am opening time.

However, although the side gates were open to pedestrians, the main entrance was closed, with visitors unable to drive in.

A queue of motorists formed outside, amid uncertainty over what was happening.

Mr McCabe's daughter Joanne, speaking to the Irish News on Sunday morning, said she was "livid" and described the situation as "an absolute disgrace".

She said: "My daddy has never missed a day at the grave since my mummy died nearly two years ago. It was like Christmas in our house this morning when he was getting up to go the graveyard.

"Mummy is buried right down at the very bottom and we drive in seven days a week. There are parking spaces right beside the grave so he doesn't have to walk far."

Ms McCabe said she and other family members had been continually phoning the cemetery yesterday morning but there had been no reply.

"We checked on the parish Facebook page and it said the graveyard reopened at 10am. We've been here nearly an hour. There were other people in cars too and some gave up and left," she said.

In the end, the family was left with no option but to make a 40-minute round trip to borrow a wheelchair to enable Mr McCabe to visit his wife's grave.

A spokesman for the Diocese of Down and Connor, which owns the cemetery, said access was being restricted mainly to pedestrians, while limited vehicle access would be facilitated by staff from Monday to Saturday, 2pm-5pm.

Meanwhile, younger members of the grieving Mawhinney family from the Falls Road were also finally able to pay their respects to a much-loved grandmother.

Colette Mawhinney (64) died less than two weeks ago after a short illness, but because of Covid-19 restrictions, only 10 members of the family had been allowed to attend the funeral and burial.

Yesterday, Ché (12), Hollie (11) and Stephen (10) visited their grandmother's grave with their mother Bridette.

Their grandfather, Michael Mawhinney, said the children had been very close to his late wife. "It means a lot to me and to them that they were able to go and see her grave," he said.

Cemeteries across Northern Ireland began to reopen at the weekend after Stormont ministers agreed to ease lockdown restrictions.

They had been closed to the public in March in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19 but there had been increasing calls from families to be allowed to visit relatives' graves.

Among those who had campaigned for them to be reopened was Derry woman Etta Darcy, who had protested at the gates of the city's cemetery.