Ireland’s relationship with the Catholic Church is messy and complicated. Alternatives to the Catholic funeral are becoming more common, but when most of us think about our own it’s generally the full incense and eulogies treatment we’re after. Half of us are dubious about the concept of afterlife and one-third don’t believe in heaven, but four fifths definitely want a Catholic funeral with all the trimmings when we die. We gamely carry on doing what we have always done: taking what we want from the Catholic Church and disregarding the rest. But the truth is the more we know, the harder it is to silence the rest, the unknown-knowns.

Source: The Irish Times March 01, 2026 10:31 UTC