How RIP.ie became an Irish cultural phenomenon

Analysis: aside from publishing death notices and condolences, RIP.ie is also a rich source of significant personal, cultural and historical data

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By Shannon Mora, TCD

The pandemic created widespread disruption of social and cultural systems, including how we mourn. Society saw large-scale adoption of technology to address these disruptions as life (and death) moved online. RIP.ie, which had been offering digital death announcements and condolences since 2006, rapidly became a critically important tool in mourning, an unlikely source of public infrastructure for mortality data and a rich source of cultural data.

The Irish Times' recent purchase of RIP.ie reminds us that this infrastructure is the property of a privately-held organisation that could, in theory, decide at any time to change the way in which this very personal data is managed and made available. Given this risk, it is important that we think carefully about what RIP.ie means to us, how we use it and why we need it.

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From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, The Irish Times acquires death notice website RIP.ie

Death notifications

Given the time constraints of organising the traditional Irish funeral within three days, timely notification is critical to one's ability to participate. During the pandemic, RIP.ie transformed the way people are notified of a death in Ireland. This transformation occurred in part because all funeral directors in Ireland have access to RIP.ie and are able to enter death notices at no cost.

As a result, RIP.ie is a centralised source for death notifications, where an individual only needs to check one site to find out about deaths throughout the island. Notices include practical information on funeral arrangements, including links to live-streamed funerals and are generally posted within 24 to 48 hours of death, allowing loved ones to make arrangements to support the family and attend services.

A cultural phenomenon

RIP.ie became a cultural phenomenon and a part of everyday life, as evidenced by the site receiving more than 250,000 visitors each day and the rise in the average number of condolences per individual from six in 2019 to over 130 in 2020 . Digital mourning platforms like RIP.ie allow mourners to express themselves in novel and creative ways, moving beyond modern expectations of "efficiency and rationality".

From RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline, readers discuss the importance and impact of RIP.ie

Condolences on RIP.ie range in length from a single emoji to over 300 words, and also include the use of poetry, song lyrics, scripture, anecdotes and witty remarks, and cultural references to sports, hobbies, food and drink, careers, music, religion, and family. The data included in RIP.ie includes very personal data, including names of close and distant relations, friends, neighbours, classmates, and colleagues; contact information such as current and former addresses, phone numbers, and emails; social history such as what church or school you attended, and places of work.

Currently, all notices placed on RIP.ie are archived and available to view at no cost. Notices can be found by searching for the surname, county, town or date of death and is a treasure trove for ancestry researchers. Unlike the National Archives, which typically provide records up to the mid-20th century, ancestry researchers can access data from 2006 onwards through RIP.ie helping them uncover modern connections.

Statistics

The Central Statistics Office’s decision to use data from RIP.ie to track mortality during the pandemic was in part due to the 24 to 48-hour turnaround, which far surpassed the normal process of registering a death, which can take several months. A Trinity College Dublin School of Law report highlighted that data from RIP.ie proved more timely and reliable than Ireland's official death register, underscoring the need for reform in the country's death registration process. Recently, a new law was passed requiring electronic death notifications to the General Register Office within five working days from the date of death allowing the Government to collect more timely mortality data.

From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland in May 2020, what death notices and RIP.ie statistics tell us about the spread of Covid-19 across Ireland

What if you had to pay to access RIP.ie?

In 2009, death notices were charged by the word or by the line with costs in the range of €250 to €300, and the Irish Examiner even charged a subscription fee for online access to funeral arrangements on its website for either €5 a month or €35 a year. While The Irish Times has stated that it will still be free to view death notices, they are a profit-driven organisation. There is a concern among users that the site could become monetised with limited access in the future, threatening the very affordances of the site identified above.

The 2013 acquisition of Mendeley by Elsevier serves as a clear example of how platform changes can lead to the loss of open data access. Academics who had freely shared their research data on Mendeley suddenly found it was now controlled by a large, profit-driven company with a reputation for limiting access, sparking concerns about restricted access, ownership, collegial scholarship, and cancelled memberships.

From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, Shannon Mora on how RIP.ie became an Irish cultural phenomenon

Should RIP.ie data be preserved as a public good?

Data from RIP.ie represents a rich source of data of personal, cultural and historical significance. As of today, loved ones can reference the condolence books indefinitely. While there is currently no indication RIP.ie will be put behind a paywall, its acquisition is a reminder of how much of our memories and culture we entrust to platforms with potentially different priorities. We rely on RIP.ie to communicate on matters of mourning and remembrance, and we can only hope the Irish Times honours the role it now holds in our lives.

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Shannon Mora is a PhD student in Digital Humanities and Culture in the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultural Studies at TCD.

The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ