Digging a grave

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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..

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.

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.

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

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

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.