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Not using a funeral director

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  • 03-02-2021 4:05pm
    #1
    slipperyox
    Registered Users Posts: 594 ✭✭✭


    Seems the done thing every time there is a death.

    Is it compulsory ?


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    #2
    wiggle16
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,022 Mod ✭✭✭✭wiggle16


    Apart from the fact that it would be a lot to take on for recently bereaved people to organise a funeral and deal with a dead body themselves, I don't believe there is a legal impediment - but it would be practically impossible to do all of it yourself without knowing the ins and outs of it.

    Funeral directors are typically involved from the day of the person's death because of the logistics involved - arranging burial/cremation, flowers, religious officiation if applicable and transport - then there is the actual handling of the body. When the body is released to the next of kin it will need to be transported to its various destinations (family home or funeral home, then a church if applicable, then burial/cremation), bathed, dressed and may also need to be enbalmed, depending on the circumstances.

    [There's also a lot of small things people don't think of - for example, if a body is to be laid out or displayed "open casket", the mouth will often be sewn shut or sometimes glued, as it will not stay shut on its own.]

    It would be pretty much impossible for the next of kin to arrange all of this themselves and still have a traditional/familiar funeral. In countries where funeral directors are not a thing, burials tend to be very, very soon after the death for all the above reasons.

    Is this a personal issue for you, OP, or more of a general question? General discussion is not normally permitted in PI.


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    #3
    slipperyox
    Registered Users Posts: 594 ✭✭✭slipperyox


    If someone was terminally ill, the lot of work could be planned I guess.
    But you are correct, it is daunting.

    The embalming side, if I'm correct is not regulated here? So perhaps that would be the only thing to be outsourced, unless another competent person could do it.

    I understand completely, the continuation throughout of the element of dignity, and my query was purely as to any legal constraints of not using a FD.



    Yes personal discussion, for my future plans.
    many thanks


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    #4
    mgbgt1978
    Registered Users Posts: 4,230 ✭✭✭mgbgt1978


    Rather than starting a new thread I thought I'd jump on here.
    Myself and my wife don't want either a Funeral or Burial. We simply would like to be cremated and our two Children would then spread the ashes at a place we have already selected.
    I phoned the crematorium in Shannon recently (the nearest to us) and they will do a cremation for €600 (I can even pay them now and that will be the only payment they will seek, even if I am here for another 30 years).
    Only problem is that the Crematorium told me that an Undertaker must bring them the remains, and collect the Ashes afterwards.
    A few phone call to local undertakers and the lowest figure I have received is €1,600 to do the above (that figure will only rise as the years go on).
    Does anybody know if I actually need an Undertaker, or is there an alternative ?


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    #5
    HildaOgdenx
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,536 Mod ✭✭✭✭HildaOgdenx


    I don't have the answer, as to whether there is an alternative.

    But from a purely practical point of view, the person, whoever they may be, has to be capable of dealing with a dead body, storing it, should that be necessary, and transporting it, appropriately, to the crematorium.

    There was an excellent documentary on RTÉ The Funeral Director, you might be able to find it still online somewhere.

    https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058037820

    I'm nearly sure that he talks about preparation of the body for cremation and you mentioned that the crematorium has said they can only accept bodies from an undertaker/ funeral director. So that might be yet another reason why.

    There's some information on Citizens Advice. It might be worth checking further with some of the organisations mentioned there, to find out if what you have in mind, is possible.

    https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/death/after_a_death/


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