School: Balrath (1) (roll number 9770)
- Location:
- Balrath, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: C. Ní Pharthaláin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0719, Page 261
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- XML “Wake and Funeral Customs”
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- The first thing the the people used to do long ago when a person would die is stop the clock. When two or three would come to the wake if they could not say the De Profundis they would knock on the door and some person from inside would come and say it for them, they would go in then and say some prayers over the dead person. They would give round cigarettes and pipes and snuff. It was the custom if you were not a smoker to light the pipe and take a few puffs. Long ago when the person that die would be waked two nights in the house some people would have a terrible lot of and it would be more like a spree than a wake. They would be singing songs and playing all sorts of games. There was a man in the district, he was so drunk that he did not know the priest when he came to attend the funeral he caught hold of the priest and wanted to bring him in for a drink. When the funeral had started he got up on the hearse along with the driver and he fell down on(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Joseph Flynn
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Carlanstown, Co. Westmeath
- Informant
- Patrick Flynn
- Relation
- Parent
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 48
- Occupation
- Farm-labourer
- Address
- Carlanstown, Co. Westmeath
