School: Blessington (1)
- Location:
- Blessington, Co. Wicklow
- Teacher: Ruby Taylor
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0913, Page 142
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- If a person dies he or she is usually waked for two nights, that is his or her friends stay up all night. If he dies before 12pm that night is counted as one wake-night if he dies after 12pm it will not be counted as one night.
In some houses the dead person is brought to the chapel, and sometimes he is kept in the house. Nowadays the corpse is usually kept at home for one night and sent to the chapel the second night. Protestants keep the corpse in the house for the two nights.
The people usually have a great feast the night after the person dies, sometimes a great number of men are drunk. If the person is very bad sometimes the ham for the wake is boiled before he or she dies, but this is not done, unless the person is very, very bad.
Nowadays the people do not sing or dance at wakes, as it is considered disrespectful. Sometimes the menkind might play cards.
On the second day after the death the, person is buried this is the order of the funeral. First comes the hearse or the people bearing the coffin, the chief mourners, the walking people, the motor-cars and lastly the horse vehicles.
When a person dies an envelope and black crepe are hung on the front door of his house, on the envelope is written the name and age of the dead person. All blinds are closed also his or her relations have their blinds closed.
When the corpse is buried the blinds are let up.
