Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1876-11-22
Irish Wakes.


ward their dea relatives, whom their
natural kindness prompted them not
to desert, as it were, nor leave to the
attacks of evil spirits, who hover in
their fancy round the body to do it an
injury. Hence the lights and holy
water. The same idea, in almost the
identical form, prevailed in Cleveland,
in Yorkshire, where indeed it is only
just extinct. "The Lyke Wake,' or
'Iate Wake" was maintained some
times for a few days after the body
was laid in the grave, and there were
more superstilious practices than in
Ireland. lin addition to the light and
the holy water n plate Of salt was put
on the breast; these were held to be
efficacious tor the watcher as well as
the dead. Above all, the door was
always either wide open or carefully
closed, lest some fearful apparition
should enter. The reader of "Guy
Mannering" will remember Meg Mcr.
rifles opening the door wide when she
was busy in her ghastly ministrations
about the smuggler's corpse. She
also chanted some dismal verse. some
thing similar to the 'Lyke Wake
dirge which is sung IN Yorkshire, but
properly belongs to Cleveland--
This &c night, this ae night,
Every night and allie,
A fire and lcet, and candlelight,
And Christie receive thy Salle.'
In parts of the north of Ireland
there was at one time, some forty or
fifty years ago, a rather romantic Gus
tom, that when very young unmar-
riel woman died, her coffin should be
carried by young girls only to the
graveyard. As this was situated per-
haps fifteen or twenty miles from
where she lived, it followed that the
bearers should be changed every sec
ond mile, and on these occasions there
was generally an escort of running
volunteers, who in this way often did
their thirty miles in the day. This
custom was called "shittia%Glia4es were
the result of these excursions; but
the idea was nevertheless pretty and
pastoral The Irish peasantry have
an inborn taste for funerals, and in the
amount of honor done to the departed
they lose sight Of the actual loss they
have suffered.
"Ouh, sure, thin, it was fine ber-
ryn' there was a sight OF people and
power Of cars" is as great 4 eulogl-
um as can be accorded any man, and
will quite console the survivors, And
the reverse, "Och, thin, he did not
leave enough as would bury him da-
cent ;" in fact, they think far more OF
how they are TO be buried than OF
keeping life Itself. The poorest and
the most lmproyident lays by some
thing for his or her own wake, and
have myself known cases of pauperS
in the hospital who were accumulate
inc under their pillows little store tc
save the disgrace Of a parish coffin
that being the greatest and last mis-
fort lne that could befall them
J Douglas Jerold was much struck b!
| this phase Of the Irish character, ant
, it is he, think, who tells an affecting
2 story of young girl whom he founo
t in cabin busy at her needle. 81 SEE
/ YOU take in plain sewing; this Is SOM
f bridal grandeur?' he said, taking "
! what looked like an elaborate night
e dress.
!, cts no wedding grandeur" re
$ Piled the girl, proudly, "shure It's IN,
own shroud let life bring what
may, place God III have u dacen
e wake" = dublin University Maya
e zine.