ESB bill reaches a dead end

THE parish priest in Tulla received some interesting post last week after it was thought he had a secret line to the person or persons occupying Tulla graveyard.
An ESB bill addressed to “The Occupant, Tulla Graveyard, Tulla” made its way to Fr Martin O’Brien last Thursday after the local postman was confused as to which occupant in the cemetery he was supposed to deliver it to. 
Fr O’Brien said, “the local postman obviously amused and amidst considerable local amusement wondered who was the occupant and in the fun decided to deliver it to me. I suspect he thought I had a line to the occupants”.
While the letter to the unknown occupant of the graveyard caused a local stir and spurred plenty of jokes around Tulla there was a serious side to the matter and the community remembered the late Brian Culloo who spearheaded the committee that lead to the graveyard being so nicely lit.
A number of years ago the local graveyard committee undertook a task to restore the old church ruin and in the process assisted in ensuring the upkeep of the graveyard. In the process about three years ago Mr Culloo and the committee set about putting lighting in place and in the last week Clare County Council have agreed to take on responsibility for payment of the electricity to the lighting.
It is for this reason and the change of billing address that the letter was addressed to the so-called new occupant of the graveyard.
Fr O’Brien acknowledged the great work done by the local committee for the tasteful way they restored the graveyard and the local ruin.
“It does come out of tremendous co-operation between the local committee and the heritage council for the care and maintenance that they paid to the graveyard. Having completed the restoration, the local committee installed floodlights, which highlight the church ruin as you pass the Ennis/Scariff road and is visible from all approach roads. The graveyard stands out at night and it is a great consolation to the bereaved that they provided the lights,” he said.
Speaking about the transfer of the lighting, Councillor Joe Cooney said, “the late Brian Culloo and the local committee got the lighting in a few years ago and the agreement was that when the first bill came the council would take over the lighting. Two bills came in that time but now the council have taken on responsibility. The letter should have gone to Clare Clare Council, but it was because the billing address changed that the bill was sent to the graveyard”.
A spokesperson for the ESB said the letter being addressed to the graveyard was a “clerical error”.