Hundreds of people have attended a candlelit vigil in Deansgrange Cemetery to protest against plans to put a cycle route through the graveyard.
Susan McGarvey, whose 12-year-old son Callum was buried in Deansgrange five years ago, is one of the organisers.
"I chose this cemetery because I thought it was beautiful and peaceful with the walls and the corner," she told RTÉ News.
Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council have proposed a diversion of the route through the cemetery after objections to plans to make part of the Grange Terrace road one-way to accommodate the cycle way.
The plan is for a new pedestrian entrance to allow the bike route to run for 200 metres and to lower the boundary wall between the cemetery and the main road.
Public lighting in the graveyard would also be upgraded.
Ms McGarvey said: "I think it's incredibly insensitive and appalling of the council to propose these plans."
Her son's grave is one row away from the path that would be used for the cycle route and she said she comes down to visit and enjoys the tranquility of the graveyard.
"I'm all for cycles routes ... and I do know that road is dangerous outside, but I just don't think it should go through a cemetery.
"A cemetery is for the dead. It is for to rest in peace, it's not a park or a throughway, it's a cemetery," she said.
Ms McGarvey said she does not have a problem with the original proposal to make the Deansgrange road one-way, but she can understand the concerns of local residents.
Denis O'Connor was also at the vigil. His daughter died on the day she was born in 2010 and was buried in the garden section of the cemetery.
"We chose the area here, it was very peaceful, very tranquil, lovely place to mourn and have the respect we needed to spend time with our daughter," he said.
"Her coffin actually touches the foundations of the wall that they're talking about lowering so we're obviously unbelievably devastated at these proposals and feel they shouldn't proceed."
Mr O'Connor said the group had been in touch with councillors about the issue and had got some support. He said they organised the vigil to show the council the strength of feeling on the issue.
Councillor Maurice Dockerell, who was at the protest, said: "It can't be beyond the wit of man to come up with a solution that protects cyclists, motorists and is respectful to a cemetery. It shouldn't be going through a cemetery."
He voted against the original proposal for a cycle route with one-way motor traffic on the Deansgrange Road, but now said it should go back to the engineers.
"We're going to have to take a look at the plans again and it may well be the only solution is the one-way solution that we had been against," he said.
Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council is asking for the public for its views on the current proposals, which include the diversion through the cemetery.
The closing date for submissions is 27 October.
Responding to tonight's protest, the Deansgrange Cycle Route campaign group said it preferred the original proposal for a two-way safe segregated cycle lane on Deansgrange Road itself.
"Unfortunately, due to a lack of political will and legal threats from local stakeholders that proposal was not advanced," the group said in a statement this evening.
"We appreciate there are strong feelings about the latest proposals and we too have some reservations and concerns. We encourage the council to engage with all stakeholders."
"But we must also highlight the fact that Deansgrange Road is extremely dangerous. Safe cycling infrastructure needs to be provided urgently to allow local families to get to and from the many nearby schools and activities safely.
"Every day that councillors fail to act on this serious safety issue they fail our children and other vulnerable road users."
The group said it was also worth noting that the cemetery is used by local families to access schools, by foot, by car and by bike.
