From next month, bodies can be buried without a coffin for the first time in more than 120 years.

Since regulations were introduced in 1888, it has been illegal to bury a body without a coffin, but new rules approved by Environment Minster Phil Hogan have changed that.

The changes are designed to facilitate Ireland's Muslim community, as well as other faiths who normally bury their dead without a coffin - if permitted by local law.

The new rule comes into effect on the first of June.