Cork mourners attend an average of 5 funerals a year

Cork people have attended an average of five funerals in the past year according to a major new survey.

Carried out by RIP.ie, the survey asked almost 3,400 Irish people about their views on funerals.

Cork mourners fell within the national average of five funerals attended in the past year. However, that figure varied from as low as three in Dublin to over six in Kerry and Limerick. 14% of all of respondents said they attended over ten funerals in the past 12 months.

The research is one of several initiatives carried out by RIP.ie to mark the obituary website’s 20th anniversary this year.

The issue of eulogies, which are not allowed in several Catholic dioceses in Ireland, provided some of the most interesting figures in the survey.

In Munster, 95% of respondents supported the right to a eulogy during the funeral service.

Richie Kelly, Head of RIP.ie, said the findings should provide some food for thought.

He said: “It’s clear that the vast majority support the right to deliver a short tribute about their loved ones and an opportunity to say goodbye to them in their own words.

“Hopefully, these findings will contribute to an informed debate on the issue.

“However, the introduction of time guidelines would be important,” added Mr Kelly.

Eulogies being too long or containing inappropriate content for a church setting are two elements a diocese might consider in its stance on the issue. RIP.ie found that, while 86% of respondents believe the eulogy should be under ten minutes, 10% believe it should be 11 to 15 minutes, 2% believe it should be 16 to 20 minutes, and 1% think it should be over 20 minutes.

When it comes to overall funeral length, most funerals in Ireland take place over three days and 84% of people believe this is about the right time. However, 14% believe this is too fast while 1% think it’s too slow.

Asked which type of funeral service a person might opt for, 78 per cent said they would consider a religious ceremony with a priest, minister, or equivalent, while 20% said they would consider a humanist/non-religious ceremony and 12% said they would consider not having any funeral service but might go straight to burial or cremation.

When those who chose cremation were asked what they’d like to happen to their ashes after cremation, 43% said buried in a grave or cremation garden, 39% said scattered in a particular location, 12% said kept by family in an urn, and 5% said used as part of a special memorial.

When asked about the afterlife, 65% said they believed in heaven, 52% said an afterlife for the soul, and 14% said reincarnation.

However, just 16% said they believed in hell, two per cent more than ghosts at 14%. Sixteen per cent said they believed in none of the above.

Asked to share a memory of a funeral they attended, one respondent wrote: “My father was a fisherman, and the ‘Lonesome Boatman’ was played graveside. It was so touching, a very special moment.”

Another shared: “‘Highway to Hell’ played as the coffin left the church. It was the parish priest who played it for his close friend who had passed away.”