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People found live-streamed funerals ‘deeply unfulfilling’ during the pandemic, however, sentiments have since evolved.
The Irish culture of mourning is becoming more digital, a University College Cork (UCC) study has found, in one of the first investigations into how people experienced technology in funeral rituals during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pandemic restricted gatherings, which included funerals, limiting the number of grieving attendees to reduce the spread of the deadly virus that killed nearly 10,000 people in Ireland.
Published in the Journal of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), the study reported that people found live-streamed funerals to be challenging and “deeply unfulfilling” during the pandemic.
However, as time has passed, the study found that there is now a “growing recognition” of the role of live-streamed funerals and the use of online condolences such as the obituary platform Rip.ie – now owned by the Irish Times group – in the social dimension around mourning in the country.
“In the Irish experience of mourning, there is a rich history of ‘a good send-off’, with rituals dating back centuries still remaining today,” said Luigina Ciolfi, a professor of human computer interaction at the UCC School of Applied Psychology.
“The loss of mourning rituals and gestures of support such as handshaking, hugging, house visits and physical gift giving were mentioned as being particularly missed,” she said, referring to what the study’s participants reported.
Meanwhile, Ava McCoy, a graduate of BA Applied Psychology at the university, who co-authored the study with Ciolfi, said: “Our findings indicate that the experience of technology surrounding mourning is complex and still evolving.”
McCoy added that the study’s participants “faced a series of emotional and social challenges as they were managing these changed ways of participating in rituals and showing support to the bereaved during the pandemic”.
However, they acknowledged the importance of embracing technology when alternatives weren’t available.
Moreover, following the lifting of restrictions, the study noted that digital technology continued to be used in Irish mourning, blending recently established rituals into long-lived ones.
According to the study, Rip.ie is now “fully a part of how people participate in mourning”, providing online books of condolences, links to digital in memoriams such as including donations and cards.
“At the time of its acquisition in 2024 by the Irish Times group, Rip.ie reportedly received 60m page views a month, with the population of Ireland at just over 5.2m,” Ciolfi said.
“It clearly shows an evolution in how such social ties surrounding the end of life are and will be maintained in contemporary Irish society, including technological ones.”
Moreover, according to the study, digital tools are expected to remain a part of Irish mourning for the foreseeable future.
Although, the use of commercial digital platforms for private mourning brings up important concerns around privacy and safety, the study noted.
Rip.ie made nearly €1.7m in profits in 2023, however, with its recent acquisition, the Irish Times group introduced a new €100 charge directed at funeral directors for every death notice from January 2025, provoking displeasure from many.
Labour Party TD Conor Sheehan described the move as “horrendous”, adding that the website “has become a crucial community tool for people up and down this country.
“While the fee will be for funeral directors, it ultimately will be passed on to a grieving family,” he added.
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