Irelands Morbid Obsession with death

unclejunior

Is it just me or is the news in this country obsessed with reporting about road deaths and fatalities of some sort? This morning took the biscuit, three separate deaths anounced in succession, a great way to start your day with a daily dose of death and misery!

The King of Moo

I'll give you my answer in a minute, just let me listen to the death notices first.

DrumSteve

Yeah, could be worse, it could be someone you know in the accident, you know.

minidazzler

We also love a good funeral. Especially if it's a proper wake.

who what when

Some people would consider unexpected deaths to be 'news'. Morbid or not.

Jester252

unclejunior wrote: »

Is it just me or is the news in this country obsessed with reporting about road deaths and fatalities of some sort? This morning took the biscuit, three separate deaths anounced in succession, a great way to start your day with a daily dose of death and misery!

Ireland is a small country with little going on so deaths are top on our news
Also if it bleeds it leads

unclejunior

DrumSteve wrote: »

Yeah, could be worse, it could be someone you know in the accident, you know.

given the size of the country, any road death is enough to raise your concerns

judgefudge

What I don't get is when older people (like my gran for instance) go to funerals of people they dont know. I don't know if it's nosiness or morbid curiosity or what but its fookin weird.

Monsieur Folie

We are a very connected country, so deaths are a pertinent issue, because it can often involve friends of friends (of friends) or else happen in an area that you are familiar with!

later12

As others have said, we're a small advanced, cohesive society. We don't have major natural or industrial disasters; road deaths tend to be our daily fix of tragedy.

I wouldn't call Ireland's funeral culture as a "death obsession" either. Rural funerals tend implicitly to be a social or community events as opposed to actively being about the dead person per se.

unclejunior

i wouldnt mind but there doesnt seem to be any good news to balance it out unless it is of course a poor attempt by RTEs Brian Dobson at reporting how a panda got its head stuck in the bars of a zoo while trying to fetch a banana haw haw ha...no

Monsieur Folie

unclejunior wrote: »

i wouldnt mind but there doesnt seem to be any good news to balance it out unless it is of course a poor attempt by RTEs Brian Dobson at reporting how a panda got its head stuck in the bars of a zoo while trying to fetch a banana haw haw ha...no

Is the panda okay now? Did he get the banana? =/

stupidusername

My bus driver for our school bus used to tune into the death notices on the radio every morning just as we got on. yep what a lovely way to start each day.

admiralofthefleet

the only reason i read the herald is for the obituaries. my late granda used to call the news for the deaf the news for the dead

Jester252

unclejunior wrote: »

i wouldnt mind but there doesnt seem to be any good news to balance it out unless it is of course a poor attempt by RTEs Brian Dobson at reporting how a panda got its head stuck in the bars of a zoo while trying to fetch a banana haw haw ha...no

The news doesn't what to report on the good things in life. They love it when the s1it hits the fan. People watch the news not to feel happy. They watch it because its, for lack of a better term, a car crash. Let me guess the panda was one of the last segments of the news

yermanoffthetv

A few years ago my da missed the funeral of a neighbour from where he grew up and felt terrible about it so I understand why he listens to the death notices but hes become the harbinger of death now. Either telling me about or looking for news on people who died

typical scenario:
Well da whats the craic havent seen you in ages.
Ah i grand, I heard on the news a lad in Galway in his 20s died, you know him?
No, theres a quarter of a million people in Galway I dont know them all.
Ah grand, terrible shame. Im off to a funeral, laters.

Chuck Stone

The Late Late show usually has some sort of horrible story about some poor soul suffering from multiple cancers.

Friday night viewing fail.

FUCKING FAIL, RTE.

Yakult

I stay away from the news bar a few sources that dont focus on the bad all the time. It's always negative and tbh I'm just fed up with hearing it every day. Unless its close to home I have no interest.

ballsymchugh

unclejunior wrote: »

i wouldnt mind but there doesnt seem to be any good news to balance it out unless it is of course a poor attempt by RTEs Brian Dobson at reporting how a panda got its head stuck in the bars of a zoo while trying to fetch a banana haw haw ha...no

a panda eating a banana?

unclejunior

i feel its uniquely irish. if i watch the news anymore i just switch over to bbc or sky news. if i had to sit through another 9 o clock news on rte i'd probably end up taking my own life

REPTILEDAN88

ballsymchugh wrote: »

a panda eating a banana?

A Red Panda.

Radio Kerry has been informed of the following deaths...

smash

Hey granda any news?
Wait til I tell you who died!

Oh ffs!

ChopShop

It's just part of a media backed campaign to create a climate of fear.

Do what the Govt says, or more people will die.

OurLadyofKnock

unclejunior wrote: »

Is it just me or is the news in this country obsessed with reporting about road deaths and fatalities of some sort? This morning took the biscuit, three separate deaths anounced in succession, a great way to start your day with a daily dose of death and misery!

Yes - we are a death culture of course.

But that is not as much of a negative thing as you assume. Death is part of life - we are not in denial of our mortality like Americans.

shopaholic01

What annoys me is the obligatory interview with the parish priest

Logical Fallacy

judgefudge wrote: »

What I don't get is when older people (like my gran for instance) go to funerals of people they dont know. I don't know if it's nosiness or morbid curiosity or what but its fookin weird.

Probably more of a societal throw back - when someone in the community died you went to the funeral as they were part of your social make up by extension.

shopaholic01

judgefudge wrote: »

What I don't get is when older people (like my gran for instance) go to funerals of people they dont know. I don't know if it's nosiness or morbid curiosity or what but its fookin weird.

Everyone knows you have to pass yourself;)

Latchy

later12 wrote: »

As others have said, we're a small advanced, cohesive society. We don't have major natural or industrial disasters; road deaths tend to be our daily fix of tragedy.

I wouldn't call Ireland's funeral culture as a "death obsession" either. Rural funerals tend implicitly to be a social or community events as opposed to actively being about the dead person per se.

Every time I see your avatar I think Joe Duffy is posting ... like he's going to announce somebody died or something .

Einhard

Can you even have an obsession with death that's not morbid?

Shryke

It adds to the humdrum morbid climate that hangs over the place but I see it disappearing with the older generation hopefully. Listening to the deaths on Galway Bay while trying to eat my dinner. Great times I had. And the voice of the woman that does them is painful. A nasally modem type sound that stretches the last syllable of every worrrrrrddddd.

Agricola

Death notices Jesus Christ. My father lives for them! I used to think it was a thing you got into when you hit 60, a bit like Bingo. But now I don't think I will ever have the insatiable desire that todays old folk have for listening to a monotonous woman reading death notices for 10 minutes.

Latchy

Shryke wrote: »

It adds to the humdrum morbid climate that hangs over the place but I see it disappearing with the older generation hopefully. Listening to the deaths on Galway Bay while trying to eat my dinner. Great times I had. And the voice of the woman that does them is painful. A nasally modem type sound that stretches the last syllable of every worrrrrrddddd.

Jeeeeezus .'' that's orrible ...just oribble ''

( as they say in souf London)

woodoo

I have worked in many countries and i can't think of one that can rival us for treating death, disease and misery as light entertainment.

The late late show and tubridy's daytime radio show has a death/misery/disease feature every second day. I have never come across this anywhere else.

holystungun9

I heart death.

CajunPenguin

Read the book Things Irish People Love there's an entry about reading the death notices and another Your parents greeting you with "do ye know who's dead

paddyandy

Sittin' around the turf fire of a cauld night they had to liven the moments up somehow .
They did'nt understand the undoglike sound of the fox so deathculture flourished . It is still with us to-day .It explained sounds and shapes away on a long walk home at sunset .
I saw a 'headless' man on a bicycle on a late summers evening on a deserted country road and he in the distance coming towards me .I was only twelve and i was alone and panic was starting and he got closer and i realised he had his head down with the sun behind him only as he pushed on the pedals of a heavy aul' bike .Relief . That's how rumours of ghosts begin .

hey mary did ya hear who died

paddyandy

woodoo wrote: »

I have worked in many countries and i can't think of one that can rival us for treating death, disease and misery as light entertainment.

The late late show and tubridy's daytime radio show has a death/misery/disease feature every second day. I have never come across this anywhere else.

I found that very striking when i returned from exile in england years ago too . An easygoing fascination with serious ilness that was choice spot entertainment .I found that very strange .

seamus

What's this "reading out the death notices" thing? I've never heard this. Is it something they do on rural radio stations?

If we're as obsessed with death in this country as people seem to think, then why are we so uncomfortable discussing it?

My parents are in their 60s now, so every couple of months they'll have news of an old friend of theirs (who I would have known growing up) who's died, but jaysus they don't read the obituaries or listen to the death notices.

starbelgrade

Chuck Stone wrote: »

The Late Late show usually has some sort of horrible story about some poor soul suffering from multiple cancers.

Friday night viewing fail.

FUCKING FAIL, RTE.

The standard guest set-list for The Late Late appears to be;

1. Minor Irish celebrity talking about a new book / show / product

2. Irish sports person talking about sport

3. Irish couple talking about their sick child who has either recently died, recovered from a long term illness, or is looking to raise money for a transplant.

4. A shitty band or singer performing their latest 'hit'.

5. Reasonably well known non-Irish celebrity who may have something to promote or just happens to be in the country at the time.

6. Some ordinary Irish folk talking about their boring lives & are on the show because they recently appeared on "Operation Transformation" or had some other similar minor brush with "fame".

7. Another shitty band or singer performing their latest 'hit'.

8. The winner of the text competition on the phone. Normally some daft old biddy from the arse end of nowhere who still thinks Gay Byrne is the presenter & can't understand why he looks so skinny these days.

Nothingbetter2d

my friend's grandad died yesterday. aged 76... had a long battle with cancer.

smash

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

my friend's grandad died yesterday. aged 76... had a long battle with cancer.

On the plus side, your signature makes that sentence read like it's a good thing.

seamus

seamus wrote: »

What's this "reading out the death notices" thing? I've never heard this. Is it something they do on rural radio stations?

Yep. I've heard death notices on radio stations in Kerry and Limerick. Had never heard it myself until I lived there.

Nothingbetter2d

smash wrote: »

On the plus side, your signature makes that sentence read like it's a good thing.

yeah its like ying & yang

Duggy747

seamus wrote: »

What's this "reading out the death notices" thing? I've never heard this. Is it something they do on rural radio stations?

Shannonside or Ocean FM for all your death notices needs. Quite big around the west of the country in the rural areas.

It's to hear of anyone that they know / knew from around the area. Or just morbid curiosity to see who of those they know is still alive :pac:

Truley

I kind of like the way we're a small enough country that a bad accident or a death on the road can be reported on the news. I don't think we have any more an 'obsession' with death than any other culture in the world. I kind of like our easy going attitude towards it. Young people always say they don't understand big funerals but I doubt anyone here would like the thought of people not coming to pay respects when they die. I have Eastern European friends that didn't even go to their own Grandparent's funerals if it meant taking a day off work or a train journey etc. It would be normal there but I think I prefer the Irish way of doing it.

Nothingbetter2d

Truley wrote: »

I prefer the Irish way of doing it.

any excuse for a wake and a pissup

markc1184

Certain times of the day, 5 days a week, my mother sits waiting for and listening to the death notices on the local radio. God help you if you even contemplate interrupting her while they are on!

dmcronin

I hate the 'sitting down shaking hands thing' in a (usually) freezing funeral home. Some real bone-crushing handshakes out there.

swimming in a sea

I think Mid-West radio's deaths roll for about a week so last 15 minutes. I used to work for a firm in Mayo and they had Mid-West as their Hold Music if you phoned them, I rang in one day looking for someone and got the full death report while waiting, a great start to a days work.