School: Mullagh (C )
- Location:
- Mullagh, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: Elizabeth Murchan
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1003, Page 169
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- XML “How Wakes Were Carried On”
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- How wakes were carried on. Up to about fifty years ago, wakes around Mullagh as in most other country districts in Ireland were a great source of amusement and entertainment.
There was very little difference between the fun carried on at wakes and weddings.
No sooner was a person dead than preparations were made to entertain the neighbours, or rather, the whole district, on a large scale.
The barn was cleared and seats made with boxes and planks were ranged around the walls. "The Board" was then borrowed. This was a very large table on which the corpse was waked. Very few had a table large enough for the purpose of a wake. This "Board" was the placed in a corner of the barn. Sheets were then draped down from the ceiling on two sides - head and one side. On these sheets, black crosses, and crosses made from leaves of laurel were sewn. The corpse was then "laid out".
While one section of friends, were attending to the "laying out", another went to the nearest town or village and brought a quarter cask or half barrel of porter, and a jar of whiskey. Joints of meat and plenty of bread were also bought, and all were brought home. The meat was then cooked and kettles borrowed in which to boil plenty of water, to provide tea during the "wake". Tobacco long pipes and snuff were also provided.
- Collector
- Rose Browne
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Rantavan, Co. Cavan
