SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — The Irish Wake

Honourable senators, today I am pleased to present chapter 91 of “Telling Our Story.”

As a child growing up in the small fishing community of St. Bride’s on the beautiful Cape Shore of Newfoundland and Labrador, I was immersed daily in all aspects of Irish Catholic traditions and culture. The music, the storytelling, the large family gatherings, the kitchen parties — and then there was the ever-popular Irish wake.

In today’s world, when a loved one passes away and a wake is to be held, it usually takes place in a funeral home. In smaller rural communities, it can still be held at the local church. But there was a time not too long ago when a traditional Irish wake would take place in the home of the deceased or of a family member. The homemade casket would remain open for several days to give all those in the community a chance to visit the family, pay their respects and celebrate the life of the loved one.

Irish wakes involved several renditions of the rosary, the sharing of stories of the deceased and the serving of plenty of food and drink. The wake would last for two to three days, when the house would remain open to visitors all day and throughout the night.

The nightly vigil would serve two purposes. First, it provided an opportunity to show respect for the deceased. The second was a more practical purpose, especially in the days before modern medicine: It was a time to allow families to confirm the deceased was actually dead, rather than suffering from an ailment from which they could recover.

Then there was the story of Patrick and Catherine Murphy, known locally as Mr. Paddy and Ms. Kitty. Ms. Kitty did not hide the fact that Mr. Paddy was not the easiest man to live with.

One morning, after arriving home from an early mass, Ms. Kitty found Mr. Paddy as a very still form on the daybed. After several attempts to wake him up, including with the help of family and friends, everyone reached the conclusion that Mr. Paddy had gone on to his great reward. The homemade casket was brought in from the shed and, as they say in the Bible, “. . . they laid him there.”

Following a couple of days and nights of waking Mr. Paddy in the true Irish tradition, family and friends who had been chosen as pallbearers prepared to move Mr. Paddy from the house to the church for the funeral.

While carrying him out, they accidentally struck the side of the door, and immediately Mr. Paddy sat up in the casket and said, “Holy jumpins, do you think I’m dead?” He was back on the fishing grounds the very next day.

About four years later, Ms. Kitty came home from evening mass and once again found Mr. Paddy on the daybed. She said there was “not a kick in him.”

So another Irish wake was held, and following the wake, the boys once again prepared to take Mr. Paddy to the church. Ms. Kitty was walking behind the casket as they approached the front door, and she said to the pallbearers, “For God sakes, please don’t hit the door this time.”

For those of you who may not believe this story, please feel free to go on YouTube and search for the very popular and famous Newfoundland song “The Night Pat Murphy Died.”

If you are planning on having an Irish wake for yourself, just make sure that your soul has left your body beforehand.

Thank you.