School: St. Brendan's (C.), Blennerville

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1. Wakes and Funerals (continued)

   

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   from far and near as a mark of respect to the family of deceased. When the people entered the house they went on their knees by the side of the corpse, and prayed for the repose of the soul departed.
   Those that came to the wake were served with all kinds of refreshments. A person shouldn't leave the wake after eleven o' clock. In the country long ago when the corpse was carried to the church - yard the chairs were thrown out in the yard, and the beds shaken, and the winding - sheets taken down.
   In olden times it was a customary to have clay - pipes, snuff, and tobacco at wakes. If the grave - yard was a great distance from the house they would carry the corpse in a horse and cart, If a person died on a Sunday, and is to be buried on Monday the sod should be dug before Monday. The meaning of turning the tables, and chairs, is that it would be long again before anyone would leave the house dead.
   It was supposed in olden times before a person of a very old Irish name died A funeral was heard to pass by some people in that particular place, and anyone that chanced to look out at this would see a coach without any horse pulling it, and also the funeral cars without any horses drawing them. This was called the headless - coach, and anyone that would look at that some bad misfortune would befall them.

   

   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

   Nora Williams

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Blennerville, Co. Kerry

   Informant

   Mrs Jerry O' Connor

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   60

   Address

   Blennerville, Co. Kerry