Irish Catholic tradition meets 21st century reality.

mike65

I was driving between Eniscorthy and Carlow today, and not for the first time in Bunclody I was bought to a stop by a funeral march from the Catholic church to the burial grounds on the Enniscorthy side of the villlage.

There was a garda car ahead of the hearse and countless morners.
I along with a few others vehicles stopped and waited until the hearse had passed by and continued into Bunclody, where behind the march was about 1 miles worth of cars and trucks! Needless to say many of the drivers wore furrowed brows.

I said to myself how lucky I was to going the other direction and made a mental note to post this thread.

Should this kind of thing be allowed in this day and age, I am being a modernist bastard for wanting roads to run free from public displays of slow-motion religious expression?

Mike.

Dun

I can beat you - how about a four mile tailback? That's what happened a couple of weeks back here on the main road north outta Buncrana (Donegal).

And I was going the wrong way. It was rather annoying, but personally I don't think that traditions should be thrown out so we fit an American-esque 21st Century standard that has been set. I mean in all honesty, how often does anybody come across it? Personally I've had it happen about three times this year, the last one being the worst.

Also, (at least up here) funerals usually take place at 11am - not exactly a peak driving time.

seamus

Seeing as you don't actually encounter this type of thing on the road all the time, I don't see any problem with it. I don't think it's a matter of Catholic tradition, more respect for the poor dead b@stard in the coffin. For example, how would you feel if it was your parent's/sibling's funeral and some guy in a car behind was beeping and shouting to get out of the way? Not saying that anyone did, but I'm sure it's nice for a family to see random people respecting their loved one, however small......

Manach

This being a humanities forum, gee w'd you think you mike65 have have some. I've fairly recently been in such a procession. Everything is blocked off, you focus on the walking and a voice in your subconsious trying to deny this as reality, that it just not happening. Concern for passing traffic just does not register on the radar screen.
Mourning is a common feature of all societies, ancient or modern. People honouring someone they'll not see in this life again. We'll all one day have to walk behind that coffin, trapped in our misery.

article6

We'll all one day have to walk behind that coffin, trapped in our misery.

Indeed, one day, we ourselves will be in that coffin, or an equivalent. Life is short. Traffic is a lot shorter. Being stuck in processions, regardless of faith, is a good, inopportune way to remember this; that death will be inopportune.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

well
i hope, that when I die.. you are all stuck in a 8 mile tailback behin dmy hurse