Ever been to a dive-bar Wake? Just had one.

[UTUSN]

There are such things as "Irish wakes." - my grandparents happening was when I was like 7 or 8 and all these authoritative old uncles and aunts gathered after the Mass, funeral, everything and were in the house and there were liquor around and tears and laughter.

*** And I've seen it a couple of times over many years, suddenly a group bursts in and takes over the bar, and announce that they are coming from a funeral or something, and everybody has to cede all rights to them.

So, happened tonight. Big group, boisterous, played juke box song about lamentation for somebody. Fine.

[BlueSpot]

1. I never really understood an Irish wake until I read this

I always thought it sounded a little weird.

I'm just going to stop there but, trust me, you gave me a bit of an A-Ha moment there.

[UTUSN]

2. Thanks for the validation.

[blm]

3. Weird scene

[FirstLight]

4. The Wake tradition is really interesting

Basically because it was so hard to tell if people were actually dead or not sometimes they would go comatose and reawaken. So the wake. Of having the body laying in the drawing room, with others gathered over many days, was basically to see if they would wake up again or start to decompose I guess. I can understand how it would turn into a party, especially with the Irish 😂

[UTUSN]

5. Interesting/weird - thanks.

[quaint]

6. Thought everyone shared memories and partied a bit to give their friend a hearty send off.

His closest friends and I even smoked a tiny bit of my hubby. That was by his request.
I held a separate memorial for relatives after his mass. Staid dinner turned into great remembrances with the alcohol consumed.

[OneGrassRoot]

7. I initially read this as "drive-by wake" and was intrigued. lol n/t