A keening festival is to take place in Co Mayo this month exploring the Irish tradition of celebrating death during a wake or funeral.
Festival organiser Kevin Toolis told RTÉ's Liveline that the festival is a world first and will take place on 18 May in Mulranny Arts Centre.
He described it as a dedication to the ancient arts of the Irish wake, dating back 15,000 years.
"It’s a rite that is so central to Irish culture and completely distinguishes Ireland from most of the rest of Europe. It’s an iconic cultural treasure.
"The festival is trying to highlight this and celebrate it, but also protect it against the encroachment of the Anglo-Saxon way of death, where funerals become private affairs and hardly anyone goes, and we ignore death."
He said that Irish funerals normalise death and are an important mechanism to teach children about death, how to go on living, as well as being an educational tool.
"Even the worst of deaths and tragedies, that’s part of human nature and that’s why it’s so important that we cherish this rite."
Mr Toolis is the author of the book: My Father's Wake: How the Irish Teach Us to Live, Love and Die, which describes his father’s traditional wake that took place on Achill Island.
He spoke about how the festival will celebrate regional traditions, as well as traditions practiced by the Traveller community.
The idea is to bring people together as a community, and the festival is open to people of all ages.
He explained that there are elements of the supernatural in some places in the west of Ireland, particularly in Co Mayo.
He spoke about the concept of blessing the dead person and the house they lived in, and the idea behind it is that in laying the dead to rest and paying them proper respect, they will not come back and haunt the living.
"There are a lot of superstitions around death and dying - covering the mirrors, stopping the clocks, prayers for the dead - that tradition and experience, it’s so wrapped around the central core of Irish culture. It’s amazing that The Keening is the first festival ever to celebrate this."
He said that in ancient times, there were riddles, arts, games, singing, telling stories and poetry as part of the wake, and that the festival will celebrate that.
The festival begins with a visit to Mulranny Cillín, followed by a number of events throughout the afternoon and evening including music and workshops, covering topics such as Sean Nós songs, keening traditions and poetry.
Special guests include Sean Nós singer Caitríona Ní Cheannabháin and violinist Lisa Fukuda.
