This programme explores the fascinating story of the Irish funeral tradition. It traces its history from the neolithic to the present to find out what practices continued from the ancient world through the rise of the Catholic funeral rite to today's #FuneralSelfies. Historians, archeologists, folklorists and those who work in the death business shine a light on the Wake and its export to America, the forbidden practice of keening and the extraordinary sexualised funeral games played in rural Ireland.
I would like to sincerely thank all those who agreed to take part in the programme. Many thanks to Dr Maeve Sikora, Dr Ned Kelly, Dr Stephen Harrison, Dr Jenny Butler, Clodagh Doyle, Michelle Collins, Dr Laura Kelley, Michael Burke, Dr Ciaran Wallace, Dr Lisa Marie Griffith, Gus Nichols and Peadar Farrelly and Dublin City FM.
Sound clip of Kitty Gallagher is From the Alan Lomax Collection at the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Used courtesy of the Association for Cultural Equity. http://research.culturalequity.org/home-audio.jsp
