School: Maolach Mór (roll number 12173)
- Location:
- Meelick More, Co. Mayo
- Teacher: Seán Mac Coisdealbha
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0099, Page 230
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- XML “Death Customs”
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- The old people did not think it right to let a person die on a feather-bed. Before a person died, they placed some straw on the hearth near the fire. They then took the person out of the bed, and put him lying on the straw. They believed that the person died peacefully then.
when a person died, the people of the house stopped the clock.
It was a general custom at wakes to give a clay pipe and some tobacco to every man that would attend the wake.
A cart was the general means of transporting the coffin to the church or cemetery.
Two women would be appointed to sit on the coffin in the cart and cry on the way to the graveyard. These women would be called ''caoiners''.
When a person is brought to the church, the people of the house turn the chairs up-side down.
People believed its not to be right to bury a persons on New years Day.(continues on next page)
