DERMOT Mitchell beside his family's grave in Kilcroan Cemetery, between Williamstown and Ballymoe, where magpies and crows have taken all the shiny stones from the grave. Photo: Ray Ryan

Birds gone stone mad!

Feathery grave robbers have lost the plot

THE phrase “away with the birds” has taken on a whole new meaning in Ballymoe with a local man €1,500 out of pocket after thieving crows are believed to have made away with thousands of decorative grave stones, which were purchased with the view of lasting a lifetime.

Last September, Dermot Mitchell was putting the finishing touches to the final resting place of his parents and two brothers in Kilcroan Cemetery, located on the Williamstown side of Ballymoe.

Wanting the grave to look the best it could possibly be to honour his deceased family members, Dermot spared no expense in splashing out on black and white ornamental ceramic stones that don’t fade or allow algae to grow on them…

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