Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
This was recorded by Michael Fortune with Funeral Director Anthony Fennessy in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary in September 2024. It was recorded for the Tipperary Museum of Hidden History as part of a research exhibition organised by curator Jayne Sutcliffe around death and funeral customs.
.......................
00:00 - Introduction and background to business.
02:43 - He chats about the Coach House where they kept the horse drawn hearses.
03:24 - The funeral home first started around 1986. Before that people were waked at home.
4:25 - Wakes in houses and what went on in the past.
5:32 - Talking about vaguely remembering the horse drawn hearse. He remembers the first motorised hearse was Dodge.
6:46 - Talks about the interior colour of the coffins. In the past it was blue for boys and pink for girls, but he says it’s all white now.
7:25 - They didn’t make their own coffins.
8:05 - He still has a few habits for men and women and also the brown habits from the 3rd order.
9:30 - Where people are buried these days - Clonmel, the rural hinterland and for cremation in Cork.
10:20 - Funeral practices. Passing by the residence of the deceased where they stop briefly.
11:09 - Talks about shops turning off lights when a hearse is coming. Most shops don’t do it these days. Was always done in the past but changed now.
12:24 - To this day he says that the cortege will walk through the town and get into their cars. Years ago people would walk all the way to the cemetery from the church in town - a distance of 2 to 3 miles.
13:47 - People wore black for the year and wore the black diamond for the year on their left arm. They would turn off the radio for 6 weeks. The only thing they turned it on for was the news. The black diamond changed to a black band.
15:56 - Anthony talks about the black crepe or cards on the doors but it’s a thing of the past due to security and robberies. He tells a great story of curiosity getting the better of two people.
18:44 - Michael asks about differences between Ireland and England.
19:37 - A story of his own father who was buried the next day after he died. He died on the 23rd of December and was buried on the 24th of December. He talks about a burial on Christmas Day once.
21:14 - Burials on Sundays in Clonmel.
22:03 - Michael asks about no priests at funerals.
22:20 - Remember family and neighbours in country areas digging and/or filling in the graves. He remembers when the family would fill in the grave when the family were still in the graveyard in the country areas.
24:28 - Michael asks about keening at the graves. He talks about crying at the grave and the wakes.
25:33 - “Every death is sad”. He reflects on death and passing.
26:05 - The comfort of a wake in houses and funeral homes.
27:20 - He talks about how sometimes they play music in the funeral home if it's quiet and suitable. He says it takes the tension out of the air.
28:03 - Drink at wakes in houses. He talks about the power of memories shared at a wake.
29:19 - Michael asks about whiskey at graves and he responds with how a bottle of whiskey would be left for the gravediggers.
30:10 - Visiting the grave after a burial.
31:11 - Michael asks about remembering our dead in Ireland.
31:39 - Talks about solar lights and how they were stolen off the graves.
32:41 - Talks about Christmas Eve and candles and Christmas wreath on the graves.
33:13 - The Patron Day or Graveyard Mass once a year.
34:19 - The Rosary at the graveside.
34:53 - Differences in prayers at a Catholic and Church of Ireland funeral.
35:14 - Stopping off at the house of the deceased wasn’t done years ago as the person was coming from the house anyway. That tradition came with the advent of the motorised hearse.
35:59 - How are cremations different? He talks about the columbarium and how some people don’t see them as safe due to family disputes etc - the ashes could be stolen or taken.
38:28 - Talks about removing trees from cemeteries as the roots were damaging graves.
39:05 - Michael asks about people making concrete headstones.
39:50 - The time before a headstone was put up was 6 or 12 months while more waited until the 1st anniversary to put up the headstone.
40:19 - How Covid affected him. He talks about how hard it was for families and the priest. He talks about the empty church at the funeral. Talks about wearing the gear to protect themselves.
44:27 - Changes that came out of Covid. He says they are back to normal again.
45:29 - Offering condolences when someone died.
48:34 - Michael asks flower superstitions. to the business. He talks about his son and daughter and their involvement. His daughter does some of the embalming.
51:08 - Talks about laying out the dead or the corpse.This was often done by a nurse, a layperson and maybe a member of the family.
51:43 - Reflecting on his profession. He says he enjoys meeting people which keeps him going. “You have to have a laugh as well as a cry”. He tells a story of “clocking out”.
This was recorded by Michael Fortune with Funeral Director Anthony Fennessy in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary in September 2024. It was recorded for the Tipperary Museum of Hidden History as part of a research exhibition organised by curator Jayne Sutcliffe around death and funeral customs.
.......................
00:00 - Introduction and background to business.
02:43 - He chats about the Coach House where they kept the horse drawn hearses.
03:24 - The funeral home first started around 1986. Before that people were waked at home.
4:25 - Wakes in houses and what went on in the past.
5:32 - Talking about vaguely remembering the horse drawn hearse. He remembers the first motorised hearse was Dodge.
6:46 - Talks about the interior colour of the coffins. In the past it was blue for boys and pink for girls, but he says it’s all white now.
7:25 - They didn’t make their own coffins.
8:05 - He still has a few habits for men and women and also the brown habits from the 3rd order.
9:30 - Where people are buried these days - Clonmel, the rural hinterland and for cremation in Cork.
10:20 - Funeral practices. Passing by the residence of the deceased where they stop briefly.
11:09 - Talks about shops turning off lights when a hearse is coming. Most shops don’t do it these days. Was always done in the past but changed now.
12:24 - To this day he says that the cortege will walk through the town and get into their cars. Years ago people would walk all the way to the cemetery from the church in town - a distance of 2 to 3 miles.
13:47 - People wore black for the year and wore the black diamond for the year on their left arm. They would turn off the radio for 6 weeks. The only thing they turned it on for was the news. The black diamond changed to a black band.
15:56 - Anthony talks about the black crepe or cards on the doors but it’s a thing of the past due to security and robberies. He tells a great story of curiosity getting the better of two people.
18:44 - Michael asks about differences between Ireland and England.
19:37 - A story of his own father who was buried the next day after he died. He died on the 23rd of December and was buried on the 24th of December. He talks about a burial on Christmas Day once.
21:14 - Burials on Sundays in Clonmel.
22:03 - Michael asks about no priests at funerals.
22:20 - Remember family and neighbours in country areas digging and/or filling in the graves. He remembers when the family would fill in the grave when the family were still in the graveyard in the country areas.
24:28 - Michael asks about keening at the graves. He talks about crying at the grave and the wakes.
25:33 - “Every death is sad”. He reflects on death and passing.
26:05 - The comfort of a wake in houses and funeral homes.
27:20 - He talks about how sometimes they play music in the funeral home if it's quiet and suitable. He says it takes the tension out of the air.
28:03 - Drink at wakes in houses. He talks about the power of memories shared at a wake.
29:19 - Michael asks about whiskey at graves and he responds with how a bottle of whiskey would be left for the gravediggers.
30:10 - Visiting the grave after a burial.
31:11 - Michael asks about remembering our dead in Ireland.
31:39 - Talks about solar lights and how they were stolen off the graves.
32:41 - Talks about Christmas Eve and candles and Christmas wreath on the graves.
33:13 - The Patron Day or Graveyard Mass once a year.
34:19 - The Rosary at the graveside.
34:53 - Differences in prayers at a Catholic and Church of Ireland funeral.
35:14 - Stopping off at the house of the deceased wasn’t done years ago as the person was coming from the house anyway. That tradition came with the advent of the motorised hearse.
35:59 - How are cremations different? He talks about the columbarium and how some people don’t see them as safe due to family disputes etc - the ashes could be stolen or taken.
38:28 - Talks about removing trees from cemeteries as the roots were damaging graves.
39:05 - Michael asks about people making concrete headstones.
39:50 - The time before a headstone was put up was 6 or 12 months while more waited until the 1st anniversary to put up the headstone.
40:19 - How Covid affected him. He talks about how hard it was for families and the priest. He talks about the empty church at the funeral. Talks about wearing the gear to protect themselves.
44:27 - Changes that came out of Covid. He says they are back to normal again.
45:29 - Offering condolences when someone died.
48:34 - Michael asks flower superstitions. to the business. He talks about his son and daughter and their involvement. His daughter does some of the embalming.
51:08 - Talks about laying out the dead or the corpse.This was often done by a nurse, a layperson and maybe a member of the family.
51:43 - Reflecting on his profession. He says he enjoys meeting people which keeps him going. “You have to have a laugh as well as a cry”. He tells a story of “clocking out”.
