Unlike the familiar and sweet-sounding song, Amazing Grace, the aptly-named organisation Amazing Graves offers no salvation for wretched souls - but plenty of maintenance for the burial sites of people's bodily remains.
Sisters Mary Fitzpatrick and Patricia Hickey have been livening things up with flowers and plants at cemeteries in the Glasnevin, Deansgrange and Greystones areas of Dublin over the past six months. Two to three-year-old men's graves are kept best, they report after their sojourns in the cemetery. "Women's graves are the worst," adds Mary Fitzpatrick.
According to Mary, many people are preoccupied with careers and day-to-day commitments. "The journey out to the graveyard can be a hassle or is too far and relatives can't make the trip often enough to maintain the grave."
"Others are so traumatised from recent grief, such as the unexpected death of a child, that they don't feel able to visit the graves yet by themselves," says Mary. More often, though, relatives just haven't the nerve to visit the graves because they've become so dilapidated.
Not at all spooked by the nature of the work, Mary did find the job sad at first. "The children's graves are the most striking of all," she says. "They really stand out. Some are adorned by toys - action men and little cars. The first few times out we were crying at messages people had left on the headstones."
What began as a favour for relatives, family and friends a few months ago, has grown to a busier service involved in designing, planting and maintaining graves. Based in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow the company buys its stock from markets and has reserves of seedlings in pots, pansies and heather being among the most commonly requested. Garden tools and equipment, including a car with a tow-bar and trailer, complete the set-up.
"We provide an annual service costing £100 which includes monthly maintenance visits to the grave. We can advise customers on different plants available and what grows well, depending on where the grave is situated - in full sunlight or in the shade."
