School: An Cluainín (Í Ruairc) (roll number 3127)

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1. Local Wakes and Funerals

   

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   In all countries and at all times the dead are buried with great respect. In pagan days in Irel-
   and various ways of burying the dead were used. Sometimes the body was placed standing direct in the grave, more times the body was placed in a sitting position and other times the body was placed lying down in the grave and at odd times the body was burned, and the ashes placed in an urn. A lot of pagan rites were carried out at those burials. When Saint Patrick came to Ireland he Christianize those burials but some of them remained. When a person dies the are waked for two successive nights. At these wakes the neighbors bring comorac which takes the form of tea, sugar, bread, butter and eggs. The men were provided with clay pipes, tobacco and cigarettes and the old women were provided with snuff. All people that come that come into the house get tea. The people spent the night singing this singing was to pass the night and to keep the sadness away form the people. Long ago they played all sorts of tricks but these were abolished by the church. The day of the funeral the coffin is laid on four chairs

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. social activities (~7)
         1. rites of passage (~573)
            1. death (~1,076)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Paddy O' Connell

   Gender

   Male