Digging a grave

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117676813#Comment_117676813

With the wooden box and the person embalmed, there is no chance of interference by animals at a circa 4 foot depth, its not 'love hate' type shallow, forest burials.

whisky_galore

I thought it was a thing gone with the flood, never heard of anyone doing it hereabouts.

tbh I wouldn't care if it was machine or hand dug one way or the other, there's very few fit young males in this family to shoulder a coffin let alone dig a big hole. Extended family have teens but they're never arsed about showing up at a funeral of people they never visit anyway.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117676813#Comment_117676813

Why 14 years?

GNWoodd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117676824#Comment_117676824

If the burial is at circa four feet , it is a shallow grave , in that there would be only a little over two feet of soil on top of the coffin .

The law is there for a reason .

It’s still done here in South Connemara and the local undertaker has two local men he can rely on to do the digging. Someone in the immediate family will always bring a bottle of whiskey to tjose digging the grave. It depends on the family. The grave is always filled in by neighbours and extended family and no-one leaves til that’s done. The deceased’s brothers or sons would always fill a bit towards the end just to feel part of the process. Pretty much all funerals I’ve been at have been done this way. I find it very moving really and its a nice tradition that gives closure. I was at one funeral in Ardrathan in South Galway and they just rolled a bit of fake grass over the top. It just didn’t feel right for to walk away with a big hole in the ground still open. Before that I thought they only did the fake grass thing in urban areas.

patsy_mccabe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117676181#Comment_117676181

There is a new graveyard right beside the old. Digging in the old one would be easy alright, you just have to deal with coming across the remains of the previous buried there. We just put them to one side and later dig a small hole in the bottom of the grave and bury them there. The new graveyard is hit and miss, the odd time you could hit a missive boulder right in the middle.

Digging down to 8 feet is a whole other ball game. You'd want to be propping the sides at that depth. I don't think 3' 4" is enough myself but the normal lads that dig here insist that it is fine.

mythos110

Great thread. The "new cemetery" here near me in North Tipp (about 40-50 years old) started at between 8-9ft deep as has been mentioned to allow 3x coffins per plot. Luckily any of the graves I've been involved in digging have been at least the second or subsequent.

I remember a neighbour telling me about digging a grave for my uncle who was being buried in the same plot as my grandfather who died 19 years previously. He was a fit lad at the time and was being send to do the final clear up. They knew they must be getting near my granddad's coffin, but he forgot himself and jumped in. He heard the crack of the lid of the casket breaking and sunk down a good 8 inches or so. As he said himself, he didn't need any ladder to get back out again he cleared out of there so fast! They levelled the ground and left it at that!

Some great banter and stories to be had a grave digging and can often be much needed relief and distraction for family members in attendance. Its a tradition that I hope continues around us and has no sign of slowing down. The last grave digging I was at had over 40 in attendence but in reality only 6-8 of us doing any work!

thejuggler

Thanks for the stories and info shared so far. Someone mentioned lining and shoring the grave.

is lining done to prevent coffins in adjacent graves becoming visible? Never noticed this at any funerals I attended.

Is the shoring only put in place during digging for the safety of the diggers?

id been lead to believe that an average chipboard coffin collapses very quickly after burial due to the weight of soil on top. Obviously a metal casket would be different.

When graves are dug by mini digger/jcb is the last portion done by hand (ie when previous remains are encountered)?

minerleague

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117676902#Comment_117676902

Heard 15 round my way, a lot more people buried in same graves long ago, basically ordinary wooden coffins and remains would have decomposed and grave would be used again. Ever notice how small old graveyards are ( with bigger families in rural areas) compared to newer graveyards where only maybe 3 people buried in each plot. Neighbours dig here, and grave filled in before people leave, but more and more undertaker has team do digging as no-one around during week

Seve OB

It’s a nice tradition I have heard of.

doesn’t happen afaik in or around Dublin.

im actually surprised the Health and safety shower haven’t jumped on it to outlaw it as being dangerous or whatever…… here’s hoping they can be kept at arms length and the tradition may continue

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117677951#Comment_117677951

Lineing the grave with green mats or moss, is their to cover up any discrepancies in the walls, and also to take away from the cold look of a stoney or channelly side walls.

Presume by 'shoring', you mean propping the sides..., this is done regardless of hand digging or mini digger, if there is a question mark of the stability of the sides to keep up. Don't want the sides to fall, and the coffin comeing around the corner.

A tasty man on a digger can scrape to the top of the last coffin easily, but if not sure then it's easy to do last few inches by hand.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117678130#Comment_117678130

These days though a coffin + body would hang around for a lot longer than 15 years, no?

I assume when people here talk about finding previous remains they mean bones from long ago?

minerleague

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117678320#Comment_117678320

yes and graves better marked with headstones, a lot of areas under pressure for new graveyards as a result. Bones found would be gathered up and re- buried at corner of grave and a cross of two sticks over them.

rule supreme

I used to dig graves , did it for a few years . A fresh grave here was always 9 ft , and sometimes was as hard as the road . You would earn your money those days .

As good a place as any to ask, on rip.ie I see some deaths with "(tragically)" included. What's the specific meaning there?

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117679669#Comment_117679669

Deceased was in an accident or took their own life.

yabadabado

still a strong tradition in my area.

Ive dug several over the years,a really nice tradition.

Neighbours and friends of the deceased would do the digging along cousins/nephews.

Afaik it's dig to 8ft and that will mean fitting 6 into a plot of needed.

Nekarsulm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117671017#Comment_117671017

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117671017#Comment_117671017

What I have seen done is gently put the crowbar down, and you'd distinctly hear it when it taps upon the coffin lid.

patsy_mccabe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117685046#Comment_117685046

As long as you don't hear it tapping back. 🤣

148multi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117677951#Comment_117677951

In the case of my grandfather's grave, it was a wet plot so the casket was preserved, not sure how long for the corpse but I believe could be twice as long as a dry grave. The grave was lined to catch people's eye and hide from view the unpleasant view of the previous burial in a waterlogged grave. We use local flora and it is very much appreciated, at times it is viewed as being of a significant sign. On one occasion the may flowers were used as a crown around a grave while unbeknownst to us the song that accompanied the coffin from the church was flower of the May, it changed the tone completely when the family arrived to say their last goodbye.

Another funeral where the grave of decesed's husband next door partly collapsed, we basically had to shutter the grave and get the coffin in with respect but quickly.

In the case of perhaps a childhood tragedy line the sides with mesh wire and Place local flowers, a little effort has alot of effect on the mourners.

Nekarsulm

Yeah, chicken wire used here to line the sides, and there are a few places where lots of moss grows on a hedge bank , the owner is usually asked if they mind the diggers taking a few bags of it.

Its easy to weave it into the chicken wire.

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117689210#Comment_117689210

We get a buck of galvanised nails and push into the sides, the sections of fog. A lot of tight holes, and rock that can affect the chances of the chicken wire staying up, and getting caught with a coffin handle and pulling all with it going down.

patsy_mccabe

Heard here locally fom one guy that uses high tensile wire bent back to produce long staples. These pushed into the sides to hold the branches of laurel or whatever..

whelan2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117679669#Comment_117679669

Daughter's lcvp teacher buried today. So young and so much life left to live. The school did a guard of honour.

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117692326#Comment_117692326

At the funeral here today of a guy I worked with a few years back. 45 years old, got seriously ill in March and has been in a coma ever since. He passed on Friday. Really made me appreciate my health and is possibly the first time I have been acutely aware of my own mortality. Really, really sad funeral.

farmersfriend

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117675809#Comment_117675809

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117678130#Comment_117678130

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058201076/digging-a-grave

My mother passed away in March, neighbours told us they were looking after the grave for us, they dug it and had it beautifully lined. It's seen as a mark of respect. That's in North tipp, meant a lot to my 87 Yr old father, and all the family, that people cared.

tanko

Have helped to dig graves for neighbours over the years, it’s dying out tho, most are dug with a mini digger now. Cremations becoming more popular too. We always line the grave with moss.

The only drink i’ve had in the last two years was in the graveyard, probably the wrong thing to say but always plenty of laughs and slagging digging a grave, you wouldn’t want to be easily offended anyway. Events from decades ago get brought up.

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117695561#Comment_117695561

Same as that here and dare I say, I actually enjoy them (provided there’s not too many rocks!!)

and even though you could have 30-40 there it’s always the same 5 or 6 that actually dig.

148multi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117695561#Comment_117695561

The slagging is only to take the corners off you, those fellas would be the first to help if you were stuck

Stationmaster

Still big in east clare as patsy said earlier. The 'bigger' the funeral the more lads you'd have digging so that half of them who turned up wouldn't actually have to do anything at all - and there's always a few that'll turn up just to be seen too but won't do a tap.

Different ways of filling in after too - in some places there's nothing done bar a handful of earth thrown in by the family till everyone goes wheras in a lot of places everyone takes a turn throwing in a few shovels. Some places then will use straw/hay on top of the coffin before the earth goes in. The grave diggers always get well fed and watered.

BrianBoru00

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117679709#Comment_117679709

My understanding is the tragically is in an accident whereas "unexpectedly" is normally used for a suicide

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117698543#Comment_117698543

Yes, right enough Brian. 👍🏻

BnB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117698454#Comment_117698454

I'd agree. Still very strong in my parish here in East Clare. If anything, I think it's actually getting stronger.

Having unfortunately being on the other side of it a few times over the last few years, it's actually hard to put into words how much comfort you take from the fact that so many people would take time out of there busy lives to remember your loved one. To go over to the digging of a grave and see 40 or 50 lads who have silage to make/software to sell/whatever they do - standing around in the middle of the day digging the grave and having a chat about your loved one and life in general is really heart warming. The same for all the guys and girls that direct traffic/make sandwiches/setup lights etc etc. It's such a great comfort to know that so many people genuinely care and are there for you.

It's all part of the process of dealing with death and supporting a grieving family that I think we do very well in Ireland.

Clareman

Yeah, big thing in Clare alright and has been for a long time, good way for men to grieve in my opinion as they get to talk to each out about the person who passed and what they meant to them, the tea/soup/sandwiches/whiskey/beer would be some of the nicest you'd ever have. Big tradition is that you can't bring the whiskey bottle out of the grave yard, there's even a special part of the wall to break it off, at 1 burial we forgot to drink the whiskey, when we arrived back the whiskey bottle was found in the back of the car, we all had to leg it back to neck the whiskey in case we got in trouble.