School: Rathmeage, Hackettstown
- Location:
- Rathmeague, Co. Wicklow
- Teacher: Pádraig Ó Tuathail
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0920, Page 355
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- Wake + Funeral Customs.
On the death of a person the neighbours collect + proceed to get everything in readiness for the wake. Room is prepared + corpse is "laid out" in habit. White quilt is left on bed + top + bottom covered with white muslin with a few black bows or crosses pinned on. A beads or cross is placed in the joined hands of the corpse. Women usually attend the wake in the day time - pray a while + sit a while in the wake room + then have to go to parlour for tea. Men come at night. Usually stand and say a few prayers outside the kitchen door + then sit in the kitchen where the night is spent telling stories. Sometimes drink is offered to special friends but is not a common practice. After the corpse has spent two nights in the house the funeral takes place to the family burial ground. If however the corpse is near the chapel it is often brought there for the second night but no one remains up with it + the Church is locked as usual. The coffin is carried on a bier if the Church is near + in a hearse otherwise. Footpeople follow the hearse + other cars come afterwards. If the relatives are wealthy an office is held which consists of a number of priests (about 12) sixteen) in a choir about the coffin + a Mass.
