From the Banshee to Burial: The Strange History of Irish Funerals
Irish History Podcast
Fin Dwyer
4.7 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 15 April 2026
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Irish funerals and wakes are one of the more famous aspects of our culture. Often taking the form of a celebration, it has been said we do death well. However the modern Irish funeral is not the timeless tradition we often imagine. In this episode of the Irish History Podcast I explore the strange history of Irish funerals and the lost world of 19th-century death customs.
Drawing on folklore and first-hand accounts, I explore the history behind the banshee (bean sí) and other less well known death omens. I also trace the strange and unsettling rituals, superstitions and wake traditions that once surrounded death in Ireland - customs that can be difficult to relate to today.
From the banshee to the grave, this is a journey into a lost world of grief, ritual and belief.
Written, researched, and presented by Fin Dwyer
Sound: Kate Dunlea
Voice Actors: Aidan Crowe and Therese Murray
If you want to learn more about wakes, check out this episode recorded in the Irish Wake Museum https://shows.acast.com/irishhistory/episodes/the-irish-wake-a-history
Sources
* Patricia Lysaght, The Banshee: The Irish Death-Messenger https://archive.org/details/bansheeirishdeat0000lysa
* St. John Seymour, True Irish Ghost Stories https://archive.org/details/trueirishghostst00seymiala
Duchas.ie, the National Folklore Archive
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4602737/4599804/4634242
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4427971/4362341/4466724
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4649683/4646384/4650807
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4427866/4351921/4435336
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4649683/4646384/4650807
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4758475/4747226/4779806
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5008831/4959379/5072669
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4623003/4622767/4630843
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4742070/4732588/4819790
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922035/4920905/4955848
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922258/4864961/5021036
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4706331/4703491/4726094
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's often said that Irish people handle death well. |
| 0:08.9 | We do a good funeral as the saying goes, and there's no doubt there is truth in that. |
| 0:14.1 | Irish funerals can be moving, communal, even at times uplifting, |
| 0:18.5 | and they are often a celebration of a life and they help people start the grieving process. |
| 0:25.1 | But the modern Irish Waken funeral is not the timeless tradition we often think it is. |
| 0:30.2 | While it does have deep roots, funeral customs in Ireland have changed profoundly over the course of the 20th century. |
| 0:37.4 | If we go back to the mid-19th century, |
| 0:40.0 | Irish funerals looked completely different, even strange, arguably unsettling. The rituals, |
| 0:46.6 | the superstitions, even the behaviour of mourners could seem bewildering, perhaps even frightening. |
| 0:53.0 | And in this episode, I want to explore that lost world. |
| 0:57.1 | Using eyewitness accounts and folklore collected across Ireland in the early 20th century, |
| 1:02.0 | we will trace the customs that surrounded death from the banshee right through to burial. |
| 1:12.3 | Hello and welcome to the Irish history podcast. My name is Finn Deweir. |
| 1:16.8 | Now before we dive into today's episode, I just want to flag some great shows on the way |
| 1:21.7 | for you. These include a history of the Irish language. Then in a related episode, we're going to |
| 1:27.1 | return to the story of the Mam Tras Then in a related episode, we're going to return to the story |
| 1:28.2 | of the Mam Trasna murders and explore why the most notorious mass murder in Irish history remains unsolved. |
| 1:35.3 | That actually has a lot to do with the history of the Irish language. Then I also have a show on |
| 1:39.7 | the way that looks at the German plans to invade Ireland during the Second World War. |
| 1:44.5 | That's just a sample of what's coming down the line. |
| 1:47.8 | So if this is your first time tuning in, make sure you're subscribed to the show. |
| 1:52.0 | If you do enjoy this episode, I'd recommend checking out the show I've linked below. |
... |
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