|
Wakes of Olden Days
 Since
the 1700's and for a time after that, there seems to have
been more joy than sorrow when an aged member of any family
died. The normal procedure on a death in the family was that,
within three hours of the death, the body was laid on a large
table in the centre of the largest room in the house, and
was bedecked in the family shroud (or in a good suit if it
were a man or a dress if a woman). Stockings and good boots
were put on and a small silver coin put into the pocket to
pay the way of the deceased from this world to the next.
The Irish way of life at the time made the people believe
that God's 'Gateman', St Peter, was more likely to let a soul
into heaven who was wearing a decent suit or dress and good
boots, than one who was only wrapped in a white sheet made
of flour bags.
Any mirrors in the house were turned to face the wall or
covered by a cloth. When the body had been settled on the
table - or sometimes in their bed - plates of snuff and tobacco
were put on the chest of the deceased, together with a saucer
of salt, while lighted candles were put around the table or
bed to prevent evil spirits from attacking the body. Seats
were then put around the wall for the mourners attending the
wake.
Wake Festivities
For those attendees who liked a drink there were plenty of
the 'mountain dew' in many bottles stored under the table
with an abundance of snuff and tobacco to fill the many white
clay pipes which would invariably be produced. As each mourner
came into the house, he or she would clap their hands and
then bend their head over the body to admire how it looked
in death before crying, lamenting and saying a prayer.
When all the elderly people had gone home from the wake the
younger members of society would remain until daybreak, playing
favourite games of the time including 'blind-mans-buff'. To
make room for this game in the room, the table on which lay
the deceased, would be pushed to one side, but every half
hour all the participants would stop the game to kneel and
pray for the soul departed. The mother of the houses would
make sure that all the young girls were kept until daybreak
in case of inebriated young men making advances to them in
the dark on the way home.
Funeral Transport
 With
none of the modern-day transport available then, the remains,
on the day of the funeral, was transported by hand-cart to
the Church followed by the mourners who sometimes walked distances
of up to ten miles over rugged mountainous terrain. When the
deceased had been laid to rest most of the local men would
go into the pub for a drink, then considered a suitable respect
for the dead, and many toasts would be drunk to his passing
during the day.
Those people living in the highlands of the valley had a
long way to travel to bury their dead but the residents of
the lowlands had a scattered number of small thatched Chapels
and graveyards for this purpose. Earth or flagstone floors
were the Church carpets of the time and there was no Parochial
House or resident homes for the wandering priests who celebrated
Mass in those days.
Offering
Shortly after the penal times it was the practice at funerals
to pay offerings of money to the Church and this was considered
a token of sorrow and indicated the standing in which the
deceased was held. On the day of a funeral of a well-to-do
member of society, offerings might be near to £200 but,
for those rich of heart but in poor circumstances, it might
be nearer £10. For the rich, it was a long and glowing
tribute by the officiating cleric, but for the poor it was
more often than not short and sweet. On coming home for the
funeral the question was always asked, "how much offering
was there?" The amount paid denoted the standing of the
person in the local community. Indeed it is only in recent
times that the practice of offerings was done away with, and
let it be said, no tears were shed by anyone but the clergy
in its passing.
As the years passed, the hand-carts were replaced by a four-wheeled
carriage hearse drawn by two black horses which were controlled
by their drivers who sat on the roof of the hearse dressed
in a black suits and castor hats.
|
Did You
Know?
|
If the purpose of the wake nowadays
is to pray for the dead person and to sympathise
with the relatives, it had a much different purpose
in days gone by. More alcohol was consumed at the
wakes long ago, usually whiskey or poteen (poitín),
and the playing of games and unruly behaviour often
reached unseemly proportions.
Storytelling was very common at wakes all over Ireland,
and singing at wakes was widespread. There are still
many Irish who have heard singing at wakes or have
sung at them themselves, but the custom has now
died out almost everywhere. Dancing, too, was a
usual feature of Irish wakes during the past three
centuries at least, and various efforts were made
by some of the Irish bishops to end the custom.
Cards were sometimes played at wakes, and if it
happened that the dead person had been fond of cards,
the friends sat around the bed, and a hand of cards
was even given to the corpse. Riddles and tongue
twisters also provided much merriment.
By Liam Mac Con
Iomaire
From the book ' Ireland of the Proverb'. |
|
|
