But at these lively wakes, special parlour games were devised to pass the night as the corpse was watched. The tradition of putting the corpse overboard involved the neighbouring women calling to the house and washing the corpse. The habit was then placed on the body, the eyes were often kept closed by placing coins on them. A local story was told of a man who had a hunched-back and in order to get his corpse to lie straight in the coffin, he was placed on a table and tied down with ropes. During the wake large amounts of alcohol were consumed and a prankster cut the ropes. The corpse house was cleared of mourners in minutes.

This was the usual scene for a person who passed away in old age when death was normal so to speak. Tragic death was a more sober affair and keeners or “caoiners” hired professional mourners who had a piercing wail, moaned their tributes to the night air as they consoled the bereaved. Slapping was a very popular pastime on these occasions. The object was to prove the strongest hands men. One hand was placed behind the back and the men in turn would slap the hand. Sometimes this became a very painful experience. Tobacco smoking was also common. This went out when tobacco became scarce during World War II.

The corpse was placed in the coffin and then placed on four chairs. When the coffin was taken form the chairs after the rosary had been said the chairs were turned upside down to turn death away from the family. A window was left open to let the spirit of the dead out. The clock was usually stopped at the hour of death.

Shortcuts were never taken on the way to the graveyard as this was seen as an insult to the corpse. Dropping the corpse brought dreadful results. Three days after the funeral some women called to the house to wash all the clothes and bed linen.

A local joiner usually made the coffin; the price was between seven and eight shillings. In the penal times when no money was available for coffins, the corpse was placed on a maide croc hair; this was two large sticks between which a rope was tied. During this time the normal practice was if the corpse had to be laid sown for any reason it was usually buried on that spot. If by chance it was picked up and the journey to the graveyard continued, the spot in which the corpse laid became a fairy spot or a forgeen moro.

The corpse was usually transported to the graveyard by horse and carriage, this continued until 1940 until hearses became popular. No grave could be dug on May Day, as this was the day that the fairies changed between forts.

The banshee was said to wail outside the house the night before a person died. She was said to have long black hair, which she combed.

In some districts if a wife died she was buried with her parents. This left the husband able to marry again and the second wife was then buried with him. Unbaptised children were buried on their own in a cilin. No mass was ever said for these children. A stone sometimes was placed over the grave, but no inscriptions have ever been found.