No one does death like the Irish. So the saying goes. Or so we tell ourselves. When a funeral cortege makes its way from the Church to the graveyard, people come out of their houses to stand on the side of the road to pay their respects as the hearse passes. Many people walk solemnly behind the hearse, sometimes for miles, as it makes its way to the graveyard.
Beforehand the remains of the deceased are laid out in the sitting room of their home where neighbours and friends come to visit, say a prayer, and have a cup of tea and a sandwich, often "within earshot" of the dearly departed. A respectful prayer can take place side-by-side with a ferocious debate about the state of county Gaelic football. We keep the departed company all through the night as they await removal to their final resting place. Sometimes this can be for multiple nights.
