The Strange Death Rituals of Old Ireland

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]The first time I ever saw a dead body, I'd say I was about 10, maybe a bit younger. It was at an Irish funeral and I thought it was entirely normal. It was only later on when I traveled overseas that I began to realize not everyone celebrates death in the way we do in Ireland, that some people find it strange and a bit unsettling. However, when I looked at what Irish funerals were like in the 19th century, I was pretty shocked. So, in this video, I want to bring you back 150 years and see how our ancestors organized funerals and celebrated death. It was strange, to say the [music] least. So, we're going to see why people were laid out under tables, how they played games at funerals. We'll also look at the strange rituals and superstitions and even how one funeral ended up as a riot. Now, as we go along, I'll give you my two cents on why I think they had these rituals and superstitions, but I'd love to hear your take as well, so drop a comment [music] below. And before we set off, I'll introduce myself. My name is Fin Dwyer, I'm an Irish historian, and let's start the story with the traditional Irish wake. Now, today, if you went to an Irish wake, the person will often be laid out in a coffin, but that's not how it happened in the past. In the early 20th century, you'd often see someone laid out in their own bed. But before this, they used the kitchen table. And the person wasn't always laid out on the table. Listen to this account from the 1930s that recalls how funerals used to take place in the decades after the Great Hunger.

[00:01:21]The corpse used to be placed under the table and the candles, pipes, tobacco, and snuff on the table.

[00:01:27]Only inside the last 20 years has the corpse been waked in a bed. Even allowing for the cramped conditions in a rural Irish cottage, that image is pretty striking. And it didn't stop there. People would often construct canopies over the corpse on the table, so they'd have sheets on three sides around it. And then, as the account said, you'd have candles on the table as well. Now, if you found yourself at a wake like that, you might notice a bowl of water in the house. And that bowl of water was pretty sacrosanct. It'd been used to wash the body, but people thought it was very important not to throw it out. Here's another account from the 1930s that explains why. Then the body was washed by some neighboring woman. And in case of a man, the shaving was done by some man in the neighborhood. The water used in the washing and shaving is supposed to cure cancer or evil.

[00:02:17]That may sound strange, but it tells you how superstitions ran through Irish funeral customs. And death wasn't just about mourning, it was also a time that you had to be careful when powerful forces could be unleashed into the world. And this led to superstitions and rituals that didn't just take place at the wake in the family home, but could extend to the graveyard as well. Listen to this account of funeral practices in the 19th century. It is very dangerous to stumble in a churchyard.

[00:02:45]There is danger that you will be the next to go in if you do.

[00:02:49]A woman who was expecting a baby must stop at the churchyard gate as the baby may have turned legs or clubbed feet if she turns her ankle in the graveyard.

[00:02:57]Now, that gives you some sense of how powerful these ideas were and there was clearly an element of fear or apprehension at funerals, but they were also a time of celebration. Now, a lot of people will talk about the amount of drink taken at an Irish funeral, but in the 19th century, people also played games. I found this really hard to get my head around and I wanted examples or details of these games that were played.

[00:03:20]And again, I came across this account of a game called slapping. Just listen to how this was played. Don't forget this is all happening beside a grieving family and indeed a dead body just a couple of meters away. Slapping was played in the following way.

[00:03:33]The crowd stood in a circle and one man who had one of his eyes closed and a lighted candle held before the others stayed in the center.

[00:03:42]Some man used to give him a slap and unless he was able to guess who slapped him, he had to remain in the center.

[00:03:49]It's a bit surreal, isn't it? A dead body and then that game of slapping being played a couple of feet away from it.

[00:03:56]But I do think there may have been a purpose to this. I do wonder, did the game help kind of break the tension around the funeral and create a different atmosphere in the house? I don't know, I'd love to hear your opinion on it. I just find it really, really strange. Now, there was good reason to try and ease tensions at funerals because there could be kind of a violent undertone to a lot of these events. At the time, for example, it was believed that death was somewhat contagious. Not in a biological way, but the idea that death would move from house to house and within the same family. So, for example, if someone died in your family, it would be very important to protect your household. And when the funeral was coming to an end, there was a ritual that people would perform to protect their family.

[00:04:35]Basically, the first person to overturn the table on which the wake had been happening would protect their family, but that would direct death in another direction. So, you can imagine the tension around this over who gets to overturn the table first because if they do it, they're pushing death onto another family. And this could lead to a lot of tension. But listen to this account of that ritual playing out. The people in law would be on the alert when the corpse was taken off the table and put into the coffin.

[00:05:02]They would try to be the first to turn the table, meaning that the next death would go to the opposite side of the family.

[00:05:10]The death would leave their side and pass over them. That is, if they succeeded in turning the table. We've talked a lot about tension at funerals, strange superstitions, but it wasn't all as grim. Indeed, there were some really nice traditional customs practiced in Ireland. Listen to this account of what people did with the deceased person's clothes. It seems bizarre today, but I think there's a lovely generosity in this custom. When a person dies, the clothes are given away to a friend or to some poor person before the next Sunday following the death.

[00:05:44]The clothes belonging to the dead person must then be worn three Sundays in succession going to mass for the sake of their soul.

[00:05:53]Holy water is sprinkled on each garment before being given away.

[00:05:58]No greater insult could be offered to the friends of the dead person than to fail to wear the clothes to mass for the three Sundays. It does sound a little strange, but I think there's something lovely and moving in that. It's an honor being bestowed on the person. And obviously, in a very poor society like Ireland was in the 19th century, it was very important to recycle clothes. And I think this is a lovely way of doing it, of bestowing an honor on the person who gets the clothes. Now, all these traditions were deeply rooted in Irish society at the time. And when Irish people emigrated, they brought them around the world with them. But often, in big cities, places like New York or London, they didn't go down too well.

[00:06:39]People could be really unnerved by the fact that their neighbors could essentially be having what looked like a party around a dead body that could go on for days. And at times, the police would actually intervene, try and take the body on the grounds of public health. But listen to this account from a wake that took place in London in the 1880s.

[00:06:56]It was held on a young person who died at the City of London Infirmary on Bow Road and whose body was removed to the home of her relatives for burial. For five nights, the customary orgies and drunken revelry were observed in a room crowded with adults and children. The remains of the deceased being exposed in an open coffin and decorated with paper flowers.

[00:07:21]When the conduct of the mourners became increasingly furious and noisy, the police interfered and the attention of the sanitary inspector was called to the fact of the body remaining unburied for so many days. The interests of public health demanded the corpse should be taken to the mortuary and this was only effected after serious and violent opposition. The inspector was severely injured by a kick from one of the obstructionists. Now, I can actually see that from both sides. If you're the person living next door to where the wake is happening and you don't really understand the rituals and you might not know your neighbors very well, that would be really, really strange and unsettling if they were, as I said earlier, essentially having a party around a dead body that went on for days. But if you're the Irish family in that situation and the police come into the house, they break up the wake and try and take the body of your loved one, you can see how people would get very, very agitated. Now, I'd love to hear what you make of all these customs and if any of them survive in modern guises into the present day, please do drop a comment below and let me know.

[00:08:24]Finally, if you're not subscribed to the channel and you've got this far in the video, please hit that subscribe button.

[00:08:28]I've got lots of great Irish history content on the way. Until next time, slán.