School: Wilkinstown (roll number 1917)
- Location:
- Wilkinstown, Co. Meath
- Teacher: Máire Ní Failcheallaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0711, Page 015
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- 1. It was an old custom to stop all clocks and watches in the house when a person died to show that time had stopped for that person.
2. It was supposed to be unlucky to churn any cream which was being gathered in preparation for churning while a wake was being held.
3. An uneven number of candles, three, five, etc was the correct number to have lighting during a wake, while at any other time three lights were most unlucky to have in one room at the same time.
4. Pipes, tobacco and snuff were supplied for the men folk who came and remain at the wake during the night.
5. When the coffin with corpse was taken out of the house after the wake, the lighted candles were placed immediately in the window and left there till the funeral had moved away. The chairs, stools or other seats used were all turned upside down and the sheets removed from the bed.
6. The funeral when going from the church to the graveyard was supposed to go the longest way and to pass by the home of the dead person if possible. It had also to take the longest way round the triangular green at a crossroad.(continues on next page)
