CHANGES in the character of the Irish wake haven't been accompanied by changes in the way we organise funerals in general. There is still one abiding tradition which governs the whole matter, says funeral director Frank Quinn, of Quinn's Funeral Home in Glasthule, Co Dublin: "People simply want to do the best that is possible for them, and the undertaker's job is not to let them go wild on cost. It would be foolish to send them a bill through the door that they could not pay."
While some funeral businesses emphasise supposedly new trends such as planning and paying in advance, the majority of funeral directors see no such changes.
"Pre paid funerals are very limited because the Irish are very afraid of death compared to anywhere else in the world," says Jonathan Stafford of Stafford's Family Funeral Directors - which claims to be the first Irish funeral home on the Internet. Already, Stafford has been contacted on his email address by "two or three" Irish emigrants who want to plan funerals back in the oul' sod.
He agrees that catering is a huge trend, but thinks the most significant change in the Irish funeral business occurred 50 years ago, when civilised priests began convincing mourners to end the tradition of "putting the deceased on the kitchen table and getting drunk for three days". Since then, the only other trend Mr Stafford has observed is the trend away from the Catholic church, especially among the young who may not know the rosary, for example.
David Flanagan, of Flanagan's Funeral Homes in Dublin, believes that the strongest trend is towards the funeral director planning every aspect of the funeral, from the church to the caterers. He also sees a trend towards people bringing the embalmed body into the home the evening before the funeral.
Brian Carnegie, of Carnegie's Funeral Home in Monkstown, hasn't seen this trend. In his experience, the less well off are more likely to bring the body back to the home, while the affluent are more likely to use funeral homes.
One trend which cannot but increase is the rising cost of a funeral. The average funeral costs £1,100 minimum if the family does not have to buy a plot. The coffin and hearse cost £300 minimum. Add to that the cost of death notices, cars, flowers, habits, church fees, music and interment. Add the cost of the plot and headstone and you're soon past the £2,000 mark - before you've hired the caterers.
Cremation has received a lot of publicity, but it's not as popular as you might think despite the fact that it saves the bereaved (or the estate) a lot of money. In 1982, the year cremation was introduced at Glasnevin, there were 200 cremations, which amounted to one in every 200 of all deaths in the State that year. Now the figure is much nearer four in 100.
Cremation costs £194 - a cremation fee of £157 plus an urn (£27) and certificate of cremation (£10), which is necessary if you want to bring the ashes overseas or dispose of them privately. In addition, it costs £80 to bury ashes in a plot in Glasnevin. A place with a plaque in the Columbarium Wall, costs £160 on top of the £157 for a total of £317 (no urn is necessary).
Families of those from outside Dublin who wish to be cremated usually go through the evening removal, have Mass and have the body brought to Glasnevin for cremation, accompanied by just one or two family members.
When the family members arrive at Glasnevin, they usually have a committal service in the chapel.
GLASNEVIN'S arrangements are unique in Europe, says John Kinahan, secretary of the crematorium, because the actual kiln in which the body is cremated is on the other side of the grounds, so the family says its farewells to the body before it is taken to the kiln. Rarely, one or two family members will ask to witness the cremation - for some Eastern religions this is compulsory.
This state continues to have one of the lowest cremation rates in the world.