Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
This interview was recorded by Michael Fortune with Funeral Director/Publican Vincent 'Jasper' Murphy in Fethard, Co. Tipperary in Sept 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 from Co. Tipperary.
.....................
00:00 - Introduction to business and family involvement in the Pub/Undertaker.
1:31 - He got involved in the Undertakers at around 13.
3:15 - The women in the business. His mother did the laying out. There was always someone in the town who did the laying out of the corpse. T
5:16 - They made their own coffins in a place called The Hearse House.
6:43 - Different coloured habits used. The linings they use are white. He talks about the habits with pictures on the front of them. Blue for women with a picture of Mary and white for the men with Jesus.
8:07 - Habits from the Friars in Clonmel.
9:15 - He tells a great story of putting items in a coffin where there may have been a family dispute and items that would be central to the dispute would be buried to put an end to the quarrel.
9:49 - Putting in ornaments, teddies, blankets etc for comfort.
10:20 - This changes now due to cremations and you can’t put in things that might explode from pacemakers to different replacement body parts.
11:16 - Michael asks about unusual funeral traditions that he may have seen.
13:17 - Tells a story of a gravedigger who was fond of the stout.
14:05 - He talks about filling the grave when the family would be there.
15:28 - He talks about ‘The final twist’ being made on the screws of the coffin at the house or funeral home to give the person a chance.
16:08 - His mother told him about home wakes.
17:03 - He tells a story of a woman who owned a castle and her friends held a wake for her which was full of drink.
18:32 - Drink at wakes. He has ledgers where there are records of whiskey, stout, port and biscuits and cakes and came in the next day to order the habit and the coffin.
21:12 - The Wake is the celebration of the person's life. He describes the black tradition as being imported from England and is very Victorian. He also notices how religion is also gone out of the funerals.
22:23 - Michael asks about people wearing black for the year or wearing a black diamond. He didn’t see it much he says around Fethard.
23:36 - The resurgence in wakes at homes.
24:40 - Their funeral parlour opened around 1985.
27:06 - They had a horse drawn hearse years ago but it was in too bad order to save. Their first car based hearse was a Lincoln or a Chevy as there were a lot of American imported cars used in the early days in the 1950s and 60s.
28:52 - Tells a great story of his uncle who used the big American hearse to bring on dates.
29:44 - Talks about coachbuilt hearse and where he got his built. About 5 or 6 he says.
30:15 - Local shops turn off lights when the hearse or funeral is passing by. Common in Fethard still. Every single one closes down. Talks about oncoming traffic stopping.
32:07 - He talks about the story of Cromwell arriving in Fethard through the gate on Barrack Street. He also has a story of Cromwell falling off his horse in Barrack Street.
33:39 - Always stop at the person's house or something that was something significant to the person's life. He tells the story of his old hearse driver Bob and how they stopped at the bookies for him.
39:12 - Tells a story of one of his neighbours who asked her doctor to be injected with a poison when they thought she was dead. This was 30 or 40 years ago.
39:38 - A lot of people are now being cremated. He says he is going to be cremated himself.
40:03 - Why were the funerals so quick? He thinks it was due to no embalming and the laying out was very basic. Bodies went off.
42:00 - Michael talks about the sense of occasion with an Irish funeral and he tells a story of being at a wedding and explaining the difference between a wedding and a funeral to a bunch of Australians.
42:59 - The comforting side at funerals.
43:20 - Covid. The hardest part was at the start due to the sense of mystery. Similar to Aids when it came out first he said.
47:53 - He talks about doing 30 - 50 funerals per year. He says the funeral scheme is changing.
48:58 - Talking about Infant Deaths. The coffin is provided by the hospital and generally the undertaker doesn’t charge.
49:37 - He tells a story about impoverished people or vagrants. He talks about the procedures now are very different from years ago as the Doctor has to be notified first so it can be certified.
51:15 - Talks about collecting people on Christmas Day. This sparks a story about a well known businessman who made a decision regarding his future based on picking up a corpse on Christmas Day.
52:20 - Michael asks about his own family and his own four daughters. Some give a hand, some won’t. He tells a great story about picking them up in school in the hearse and the hearsette.
This interview was recorded by Michael Fortune with Funeral Director/Publican Vincent 'Jasper' Murphy in Fethard, Co. Tipperary in Sept 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 from Co. Tipperary.
.....................
00:00 - Introduction to business and family involvement in the Pub/Undertaker.
1:31 - He got involved in the Undertakers at around 13.
3:15 - The women in the business. His mother did the laying out. There was always someone in the town who did the laying out of the corpse. T
5:16 - They made their own coffins in a place called The Hearse House.
6:43 - Different coloured habits used. The linings they use are white. He talks about the habits with pictures on the front of them. Blue for women with a picture of Mary and white for the men with Jesus.
8:07 - Habits from the Friars in Clonmel.
9:15 - He tells a great story of putting items in a coffin where there may have been a family dispute and items that would be central to the dispute would be buried to put an end to the quarrel.
9:49 - Putting in ornaments, teddies, blankets etc for comfort.
10:20 - This changes now due to cremations and you can’t put in things that might explode from pacemakers to different replacement body parts.
11:16 - Michael asks about unusual funeral traditions that he may have seen.
13:17 - Tells a story of a gravedigger who was fond of the stout.
14:05 - He talks about filling the grave when the family would be there.
15:28 - He talks about ‘The final twist’ being made on the screws of the coffin at the house or funeral home to give the person a chance.
16:08 - His mother told him about home wakes.
17:03 - He tells a story of a woman who owned a castle and her friends held a wake for her which was full of drink.
18:32 - Drink at wakes. He has ledgers where there are records of whiskey, stout, port and biscuits and cakes and came in the next day to order the habit and the coffin.
21:12 - The Wake is the celebration of the person's life. He describes the black tradition as being imported from England and is very Victorian. He also notices how religion is also gone out of the funerals.
22:23 - Michael asks about people wearing black for the year or wearing a black diamond. He didn’t see it much he says around Fethard.
23:36 - The resurgence in wakes at homes.
24:40 - Their funeral parlour opened around 1985.
27:06 - They had a horse drawn hearse years ago but it was in too bad order to save. Their first car based hearse was a Lincoln or a Chevy as there were a lot of American imported cars used in the early days in the 1950s and 60s.
28:52 - Tells a great story of his uncle who used the big American hearse to bring on dates.
29:44 - Talks about coachbuilt hearse and where he got his built. About 5 or 6 he says.
30:15 - Local shops turn off lights when the hearse or funeral is passing by. Common in Fethard still. Every single one closes down. Talks about oncoming traffic stopping.
32:07 - He talks about the story of Cromwell arriving in Fethard through the gate on Barrack Street. He also has a story of Cromwell falling off his horse in Barrack Street.
33:39 - Always stop at the person's house or something that was something significant to the person's life. He tells the story of his old hearse driver Bob and how they stopped at the bookies for him.
39:12 - Tells a story of one of his neighbours who asked her doctor to be injected with a poison when they thought she was dead. This was 30 or 40 years ago.
39:38 - A lot of people are now being cremated. He says he is going to be cremated himself.
40:03 - Why were the funerals so quick? He thinks it was due to no embalming and the laying out was very basic. Bodies went off.
42:00 - Michael talks about the sense of occasion with an Irish funeral and he tells a story of being at a wedding and explaining the difference between a wedding and a funeral to a bunch of Australians.
42:59 - The comforting side at funerals.
43:20 - Covid. The hardest part was at the start due to the sense of mystery. Similar to Aids when it came out first he said.
47:53 - He talks about doing 30 - 50 funerals per year. He says the funeral scheme is changing.
48:58 - Talking about Infant Deaths. The coffin is provided by the hospital and generally the undertaker doesn’t charge.
49:37 - He tells a story about impoverished people or vagrants. He talks about the procedures now are very different from years ago as the Doctor has to be notified first so it can be certified.
51:15 - Talks about collecting people on Christmas Day. This sparks a story about a well known businessman who made a decision regarding his future based on picking up a corpse on Christmas Day.
52:20 - Michael asks about his own family and his own four daughters. Some give a hand, some won’t. He tells a great story about picking them up in school in the hearse and the hearsette.
