Ardee, Co. Louth
Eamonn McTavish
There was a quiet confidence to the urn of tea. Nobody asked where the teaspoons had gone.
The national wake desk
Respectfully keeping score.
We assess the sandwiches, the queue, the piano and the impossible logistics of getting an aunt into a parish hall before half seven.
Read the latest reviewsEditor's selection
Wake of the Week
Roisín Furlong
A nearly flawless parish-hall operation: four sandwich trays, no seat disputes and a eulogy that knew when to finish.
Read the full reviewDesk score4.9/ 5
Recently filed
Normal, entirely routine send-offs
Drogheda, Co. Louth
Maura O’Gormley
A wet Tuesday, forty-eight umbrellas, and one valiant usher with a mop.
Dundalk, Co. Louth
Colm Feehan
Thirty-seven minutes long; somehow, not a second was wasted.
Navan, Co. Meath
Deirdre “Didge” Quigley
The cup was never empty for more than eleven seconds. A masterclass in parish-hall service.
Monaghan Town
Gerry Two-Coats
One unexpectedly moving ballad, followed by an accordion solo nobody had formally requested.
Trim, Co. Meath
Roisín Furlong
Four trays of sandwiches, no seating disputes and a eulogy that finished exactly when it should.
The pending book
Awaiting review
Pending
Donald J. Trump
Editorial note: this should be one of the best wakes of all time.
The archive
Historical wakes
Finnegans Wake
Archive verdict: 5 / 5 for persistence. A long-running literary affair with exceptional wordplay, uncertain catering and no obvious finishing time.
Brendan Behan’s wake
Archive verdict: 4.9 / 5 for attendance. Dublin gave one of its great raconteurs the suitably crowded, noisy farewell an editor could only admire.
The Body of an American
Archive verdict: 4.7 / 5 for soundtrack. The Pogues’ immortal wake-room standard remains a formidable benchmark for collective singing after the tea has gone cold.
The Sick Bed of Cúchulainn
Archive verdict: 4.5 / 5 for opening-night intensity. The Pogues’ fevered classic is not technically a wake, but its pub-room energy earns it a firmly marked place in the wider archive.
Molly Malone’s last call
Archive verdict: 4.3 / 5 for civic participation. A Dublin legend whose final rounds still draw a crowd, even if the catering details remain disputed.
The screen archive
Telly wakes
The best screen wakes understand that the real drama is often the queue, the kettle and a family disagreement nobody has had time to resolve.
Auntie Bridie’s wake — Derry Girls
Archive verdict: 4.8 / 5 for social fallout. A textbook example of how old grievances, formal manners and one badly timed family event can turn a gathering into a full local emergency.
Grant Unto Him Eternal Rest — Father Ted
Archive verdict: 4.6 / 5 for administrative confusion. A fine study in ceremony, inheritance and the importance of establishing the facts before making catering decisions.
From the picture desk
Wake gallery
