School: Dromlachan

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1. Death (continued)

   

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   they should have everything with them, and have to call for nothing. The face, the hands and the feet of the corpse only are washed and very little soap is used. If it is a man, he is shaved. The water in which the corpse is washed is thrown at the back of the fire. The vessel that a corpse is washed in should never be used again, but should be buried, and the cloth or soap should be put in the fork of a tree. In old times the corpse was walked on the kitchen table. A white sheet was laid on the table and the corpse laid on it. A green growing bush was put at its head, and an uneven number of candles was lighted round the table. The butts of these candles were kept and put at the butt of the rafters. There were several cures in these candles especially the cure of the toothache. The four crying women of the townland were brought to cry over the corpse. The women got snuff and the men pipes. When you get a pipe in a corpse house you should always light it, whether you smoke or not, and at the first blast say, "God rest the dead" and lift your cap. The men

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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

   P. Mac Giolla Choinnigh

   Gender

   Male