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Chapter 6
"Hard Death":
Personal Experience Narratives
and arrative Songs
While death traditionally was accepted as a part of life, a diametrically different view
was held in the event of unnatural circumstances. Premature, violent or solitary death was
as "bad" and abhorred as much as death occurring among one's own after a life duly
fulfilled was hoped for. Thus, in the traditional view, there was "natural" and "tragic"
("hard") death, and this distinction directly conditioned funeral behaviour:
CE: . the beSt death was, you know, of course, he wore out, he had a
long good life, thaI's the natural way, ii'S just as natural 10 die as it is 10
be born, you see, in thai sense, but you felt it more though when there
were younger ones. l
Quile oflcn wakes took various fenns. Sometimes they were very
reverent and solemn, but often they [there) would be real celebration at a
wake. It depended on how the members of the family and friends reacted
to the death. If it was sudden and unexpected everyone would be very sad
and mournful but very often people would have ajubilanl time at a wake.
If a celebration did take place it took the same fonn as lhe one which
occulTed when people stayed up all night with a sick person. People
would Slay up all night long, a meal would be cooked and a great deal of
liquor would be consumed. 2
The amount of sorrow was directly related to the age and communilY SlatllS of the
deceased: the least for the old, for whom "it was time for them to die,"3 and young
children,4 who were not yet recognized as full community members. The distinction of
age and community status found syml:x>lical expression in the colour chosen for the
shirting, which covered the exterior of the coffin and hid its plain pill; boards. This
crepe was while or blue for a child, brown for a young person and black or purple for
older people; or lhe older the darker. 5 The "good wake," complete with pranks. as this
IMUNFLA 87-1591CI2032.
2MUNFLA ms 79-392.
3MUNFLA 87·159/CI2034.
4MUNFLA 80-127, p. 158.
5Frederiek F. Jardine, "Wakes and Funerals in Irish Catholic Communities," Dr. Nemec's
personal