Blessing of the Graves - St Raed's Cemetery, Girley

What to Expect

Kells Parish holds the annual Blessing of the Graves at St Raed’s Cemetery, Girley, on Sunday 23 August 2026, taking place straight after the 10.30am Mass earlier that morning. The blessing is one of the parish’s Cemetery Sunday devotions, a tradition observed across rural Irish parishes each summer, when parishioners gather at the graveside itself to pray for deceased family members, neighbours and friends, and to have the individual graves blessed by the priest with holy water. Kells Parish holds a series of separate blessing ceremonies at its various cemeteries across the summer months rather than a single county-wide date, with each one announced in turn through the weekly parish newsletter as its date approaches. St Raed’s at Girley is one of the smaller rural burial grounds within the parish boundary, and its blessing typically draws families who have relatives interred there, as well as anyone with a connection to the townland who wishes to attend. The short ceremony usually includes prayers for the faithful departed and a walk of the cemetery grounds by the priest.

Good to Know

• Date: Sunday 23 August 2026, immediately after the 10.30am Mass.

• Venue: St Raed’s Cemetery, Girley, near Kells, Co. Meath.

• Free and open to all, whether or not you have family buried at Girley.

• Part of Kells Parish’s annual cycle of cemetery blessings; see the current parish newsletter at kellsparish.ie for the dates of blessings at the parish’s other cemeteries.

• Outdoor event held at the graveside; dress for the weather and allow around 20 to 30 minutes.

• Families often use the occasion to tidy or lay flowers at graves beforehand.

Getting There

Girley is a rural townland a short drive from Kells town; the parish newsletter carries directions for those travelling from outside the area. There is no dedicated car park, so roadside parking near the cemetery gates is used on the day.