ancient Irish funeral custom?

Started by Lynne, November 22, 2022, 07:27:24 PM

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Lynne

Hoping Diaduit or Prayerful can confirm...

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2022/11/17/three-steps-to-heaven-frank-mcnally-on-an-ancient-irish-funeral-custom/

Quote
Reading a 1980s memoir, by the late Sunday Press journalist Bill Kelly, recently, I was struck by an old phrase he used: "trí coiscéim na marbh".

It means "three steps with the dead" and I only knew it was old because Kelly said so. In fact, he was writing about a different funeral custom of his Dublin youth, which he believed had roots "in the trí coiscéim na marbh of long ago".

Intrigued, I looked the phrase up in its Irish and English forms, mostly in vain. Neither version seems to have featured in the 163-year history of this newspaper's archive, for example.

And not even Google seems to have heard of the Irish expression, as spelt. But it turns out that Kelly was not entirely alone among book authors in knowing it.

Actually, this article isn't very well-written, was it close to an actual practice?
In conclusion, I can leave you with no better advice than that given after every sermon by Msgr Vincent Giammarino, who was pastor of St Michael's Church in Atlantic City in the 1950s:

    "My dear good people: Do what you have to do, When you're supposed to do it, The best way you can do it,   For the Love of God. Amen"

diaduit

I've never heard of it before but I'll ask around.  The nearest to a custom we did was holding the crucifix to the mouth of the dying so their last breath is kissing the cross.  I got my mothers last breath on a crucifix but sadly my Dad died in hospital alone.

Lynne

Quote from: diaduit on November 23, 2022, 03:20:17 AM
I've never heard of it before but I'll ask around.  The nearest to a custom we did was holding the crucifix to the mouth of the dying so their last breath is kissing the cross.  I got my mothers last breath on a crucifix but sadly my Dad died in hospital alone.

Thanks!
In conclusion, I can leave you with no better advice than that given after every sermon by Msgr Vincent Giammarino, who was pastor of St Michael's Church in Atlantic City in the 1950s:

    "My dear good people: Do what you have to do, When you're supposed to do it, The best way you can do it,   For the Love of God. Amen"