Food, Drink, and Consolatory Practices at Irish Wakes and Funerals 1975–2025: An Autoethnographic Exploration

Ireland has an ancient tradition of hospitality. Scholarship on the role of hospitality within funerary traditions in Ireland notes the dearth of descriptions of the particular foods consumed. Little research exists on this topic concerning the twenty-first century. Using a combination of autoethnography, folklore, and historical and literary sources, this article reviews the field and argues for the consoling role that food and drink play in Irish death traditions. A link between rising wealth during the Celtic Tiger period (1995–2007) and sit-down meals in hotels is identified. The autoethnography focuses on funerary customs in the Connemara Gaeltacht over the last four decades, but also draws on memories and stories of funerals in large cities, rural towns, and throughout the four provinces. This research is significant as it marries autoethnography with Irish-language and anglophone literature, including recent creative writing, while also discussing how COVID affected Irish funerary traditions.