A Church of England court has told a bereaved family they cannot have a loving Gaelic inscription on the gravestone of a “selfless” community stalwart because it could be misinterpreted as a "political slogan".
The phrase, which had been intended as part of the memorial for Irish-born Margaret Keane, was turned down by the Chancellor of the Diocese of Coventry in the UK.
The epitaph “in ár gcroíthe go deo” can only be included alongside its English translation of “in our hearts forever”, Judge Stephen Eyre ruled.
He said it would not be understood by many people, and could possibly be misinterpreted as a political slogan, the Coventry Telegraph reports.
The memorial had been planned for Mrs Keane, who died in July 2018 aged 73, in the graveyard of St Giles Church Exhall in Ash Green.
Mrs Keane, who was a dinner lady at Goodyers End Primary in Bedworth for 26 years, was proud of her heritage and, along with her husband Bernie, had been active in the work of the GAA in Coventry and nationally.
In 2017, she received the GAA’s International Award, which said she had given “a lifetime of unselfish service and dedication” to the association after leaving the town of Athboy in Co Meath to make a new life in Coventry in the 1950s.
The memorial design was intended to reflect this but the deceased’s daughter, Caroline Newey, felt adding an English translation would “overcomplicate or crowd” the memorial, according to the court ruling.
The document reads: “Mrs Newey says that the use of Irish Gaelic is not intended as a political statement but is an important part of the Irish heritage of Mrs Keane and of her husband.”
The headstone was approved by a vote of six to five by the Parochial Church Council of St Giles but the Diocesan Advisory Committee did not give its approval.
Considering the family’s petition, Judge Eyre found no problem with the principle of remembering Mrs Keane’s heritage, including through a Celtic cross bearing the GAA symbol incised into the body of the headstone.
The judge said: “It is clearly right that the memorial to Mrs. Keane should record and celebrate her Irish heritage and her dedicated community service through the GAA.”
Judge's ruling
However, in his ruling on May 6, Judge Eyre found difficulty reconciling the Gaelic phrase with the Coventry Churchyard Regulations which place significance in the fact that messages featured on memorials will be read by many people who did not know the deceased.
The judge ruled: “Not only would the message of the inscription not be understood but there is a risk of it being misunderstood. Given the passions and feelings connected with the use of Irish Gaelic there is a sad risk that the phrase would be regarded as some form of slogan or that its inclusion without translation would of itself be seen as a political statement.
“That is not appropriate and it follows that the phrase ‘In ár gcroíthe go deo’ must be accompanied by a translation which can be in a smaller font size.”
Judge Eyre dismissed the petition brought by Mrs Keane’s family but authorised a memorial with the translated words in English.
