Super Gram's Funeral

Having a Father whom is Irish is helpful in trying to understand the Irish funeral ceremonies. I decided to interview my father to explain an Irish funeral and it's unique traditions. I asked him six questions in which I believed would explain Irish funerals. First, I asked him to describe an Irish Wake. He answered, "An Irish wake is where the body is laid out in the house with the obligatory rosary beads the afternoon or evening before the funeral." He explained how Friends and relatives will gather around the casket and tell anecdotes about the deceased as a celebration of their life and are usually funny especially as more alcohol is consumed. He also added that there is food usually brought over by neighbors and friends and of course alcohol.

Secondly, I asked him to describe an Irish Funeral. He explained how in an Irish funeral the body is taken from the home to the funeral parlor for the closing of the casket and the to the church the night before the funeral. He added, “There is a service given by the priest and the deceased is usually eulogized again usually with a sense of humor. In the small villages there is a procession to the graveyard where the deceased is laid to rest."

The third question I asked was for him to tell one unique story that he experienced during an Irish funeral. He described his grandmas aka " super gram's" wake. He stated that "Usually the priest is an integral part of the community and knows everyone because of the Irish population's devout catholic beliefs." At his grandmother's funeral service the priest brought out super gram's handbag that seemed permanently attached to her. He began to pull items out of the bag and tell a little story about each item. He then explained how " Her rosary beads which she always carried with her and the head scarf she wore when her hair was in rollers and even a bottle of Guinness which she always had with her dinner each night."

Fourth, I asked him what the unique traditions that the Irish partake in during their funeral ceremonies and he told me how the unique traditions of an Irish funeral are the laying out of the body in the house and the drinking and amount of food. He then said "The Irish sense of humor is unique so the anecdotes about the deceased are usually funny so there is much merriment at an Irish funeral whereas for some other nationalities it is a somber and morose affair". I then asked, how do these families deal with the grieving process? He then explained how the families get through grieving with the support of the communities. He also said "In a lot of the villages in Ireland they are tight knit communities so the neighbors will provide food and drink for the deceased family and walk in the procession behind the casket. However the waking process helps the families as the Irish sense of humor celebrates the life of the deceased."

What i found most interesting about this interview was the topic of humor involved with these funeral ceremonies. As my father said, the irish have merriment in their funerals as compared to other nationalities whose funerals are "somber and morose." This is very true when comparing Irish and american funerals. It is enlightening to think about death in a more positive way because it's a way of celebrating ones life rather than grieving their loss. From this interview, I have become more engrossed in the topic of humor, and will go further into this topic in the near future.

David Cronin, interview by Samantha Cronin, Email, Norton,MA, 3/30/2010