boring headstones

pj9999

I think the average headstone in Ireland is lacking in imagination.

In my local village cemetery, they are nearly all of the usual beloved, born, died, variety. Not a lot else... no epitaphs, no words of poetry, nothing biographical, in general little to inspire the soul, or indeed very little of any substance about the departed.

In England -the only other country I can comment on - graveyards were a very interesting place to walk around; though I can't remember much about the actual headstones, I do remember finding them interesting.

I imagine the local PPs here would have a fit if I tried to put anything half interesting on any of my family's stones when the time came.

Interested in what others think.

SpitfireIV

Yeah thats true alright, perhaps it had something to do with the 'old school' catholicism?

'Death is a debt to nature due, which I have paid and so must you',
that one sprang to mind, I seen or heard it somewhere....morbid

Snickers Man

pj9999 wrote: »

I think the average headstone in Ireland is lacking in imagination.

In my local village cemetery, they are nearly all of the usual beloved, born, died, variety. Not a lot else... no epitaphs, no words of poetry, nothing biographical, in general little to inspire the soul, or indeed very little of any substance about the departed.

In England -the only other country I can comment on - graveyards were a very interesting place to walk around; though I can't remember much about the actual headstones, I do remember finding them interesting.

I imagine the local PPs here would have a fit if I tried to put anything half interesting on any of my family's stones when the time came.

Interested in what others think.

Well they can be a bit sniffy in England too. For example, Spike Milligan wanted to have the epitaph "I told you I was ill" on his headstone but the church objected. They eventually compromised that he could have it in Irish, so his headstone in Sussex now reads. "Duirt me leat go raibh me breoite"

I'd have said "libh" instead of "leat" but hey, it's his headstone.

Fratton Fred

In England we seem to barbecue dead people rather than plant them. I'm not sure if that's relevant, maybe it is.

Snickers Man

Is this why it is generally agreed that in heaven all the chefs are French whereas in hell they're all English?

Fratton Fred

Snickers Man wrote: »

Is this why it is generally agreed that in heaven all the chefs are French whereas in hell they're all English?

Snails and french fries or Roast Beef and chips, your choice

Mrs. MacGyver

My great great grandparent's headstone is very interesting. They were married for 80 years (they got married at 16 and had one son. She died on the Sunday morning after him. It has a lovely epitaph and a kind message for their decendants. It reads like an essay. It's the only one of it's kind in the church yard, it talks about their unique and devoted love (which was strange for the 1880's). The rest of the stones are uninteresting.

Having studied gravestones in North Roscommon (as an archaeologist) the only interesting things i came across were the carved symbols. The test was fairly standard.

Mine will read 'I was here for a good time, not for a long time' (hopefully in latin so as not to offend too many people). I doubt the rector would allow it though!

europerson

In the oldest graveyard in the area where I live, there's a headstone with the following:
"Remember, Friend, as you pass by,
As you are now, so once was I,
As I am now, you will be,
So be prepared to follow me."

Isn't that from a poem, can you remember it? Thanks.
Its a class quote!

Erin Go Brath

europerson wrote: »

In the oldest graveyard in the area where I live, there's a headstone with the following:
"Remember, Friend, as you pass by,
As you are now, so once was I,
As I am now, you will be,
So be prepared to follow me."

Ha, thats class.
There should be more humour like that on headstones.

All the headstones i've ever seen are dull reminders.
Joe Bloggs born XX/XX/XXXX, died XX/XX/XXXX
may he RIP etc.

Very unimaginative. I don't see why a bit of humour should'nt
be on headstones. I'm sure it would uplift the mood during funerals, on what
is otherwise a sombre occasion.

boneless

europerson wrote: »

In the oldest graveyard in the area where I live, there's a headstone with the following:
"Remember, Friend, as you pass by,
As you are now, so once was I,
As I am now, you will be,
So be prepared to follow me."

I have seen that on a few stones. One clever wag though, on one stone, added a post script: "Not until I know which way you went!!"

Mrs. MacGyver

Thats a good one!

Shutuplaura

Perhaps its down to cold hard casdh - I guess you pay by the letter for an engraving and perhaps most people are reluctant to spend the money on a verse on the headstones. The other thing and this is maybe reaching a bit is that perhaps we pack more corpses into the average grave - six per site in my local chruchyard so maybe there just isn't the room for anything more than the bare bones. Or perhaps we just take death too seriously.

spurious

I would have thought the cost factor was a major one.
It can work out quite expensive for just the basics, let alone adding extra stuff.

I photograph a lot of graves and it amazes me to see the difference in the quality of stonecarving over the years. It's often possible to clearly read a gravestone carved in the late 18th/early 19th century while some carved less than a hundred years ago have already badly degraded.

ejmaztec

The lettering on my grandfather's tombstone was illegible and he died in 1946. I used the trick of spraying water on it to see what it said. It certainly proved the point of the OP.

"John Kelly - Died 7th March 1946"

None of his children seem to know when he was born, or even where he came from. I asked my late mother, who told me that he came from over the hill. That was as much as I got.

Fast_Mover

In the cemetery my grandfather is buried in there's a headstone on the way in saying
Dr Joe Walsh
19/11/1945-_______
As in it's just blank..he hasn't died yet:eek:

ejmaztec

Perhaps it was one of those pay now - die later promos.

DublinDes

The actor Clarke Gable has "Back to silents" inscriped on his tombstone:).

opelmanta

i definataly want a quote from one of ocean colour scene' songs on mine

"Get up and dance,
Get up and smile,
Get up and drink to the ones that are gone in the shortest while"

PDN

FREE YOUR BODY AND SOUL
UNFOLD YOUR POWERFUL WINGS
CLIMB UP THE HIGHEST MOUNTAINS
KICK YOUR FEET UP IN THE AIR
YOU MAY NOW LIVE FOREVER
OR RETURN TO THIS EARTH
UNLESS YOU FEEL GOOD WHERE YOU ARE!

MISSED BY YOUR FRIENDS

The verse appears on the back of John Laird McCaffrey’s headstone after he died aged 54 on August 14, 1995. Anybody strolling through the sombre Section 1300+ of the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery in Montreal, Canada might also notice that the message projected by the deceased Irish guy spells an unusual epitaph when read vertically.

The cryptic message occurred to the monument maker after he finished sandblasting it into stone. “Afterwards, as I’m done, I’m looking at it and I’m like, ‘Wow.’ I noticed it just like that. This guy’s ex-wife and mistress came in together and ordered the stone. They said the message represented him. It was a thing between the three of them,”

dubtom

I think I'd opt for the guilt trip,just to insure my loved ones keep coming back,it would read, This plot is a disgrace,clean it up will ya.:D