School: Cullen, Tiobraid Árann (roll number 7245)
- Location:
- Cullen, Co. Tipperary
- Teacher: Seosamh Mainséal
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0581, Page 264
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- Up to about 1900 wakes, in this district, lasted for two nights. In those days, in the country houses, there were no parlors. The corpse was waked in the bedroom the first night, but was removed to the kitchen the second night so that the room could be prepared for the priest who usually said mass there the day of the ‘burial’. The body on the second night was usually placed in the coffin or on the kitchen table.
Drink was freely distributed to all comers on both nights of the wake and also clay pipes. A plate of tobacco was placed on the dresser for the use of the smokers. The people spent the night chatting and smoking and telling stories. The rosary was said at daybreak.
When a person died the clock - if there was one - was stopped. This it was said, gave the person who died a longer time to make his peace with God.
The coffin was always borne from the house by the nearest male relatives of the deceased for a short distance, and also into the graveyard by the same people. Horsemen used attend the funeral in great numbers in those days.(continues on next page)
