Survey finds Tipperary people among the biggest funeral attenders in the country

A recent survey has found that the people of Tipperary are among the biggest funeral attenders in the country.

This was just one key finding of a major survey of almost 3,400 people who were asked about their views on funerals by RIP.ie.

The research is one of several initiatives the website is carrying out to mark RIP.ie’s 20th anniversary. 

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 Richie Kelly, Head of RIP.ie from the Irish Times Group said the findings should provide some food for thought. 

 On average Irish people have attended five funerals in the past year. However, that figure varies from a low of three in Dublin to over 6 in Kerry, slightly ahead of Limerick, with Tipperary in third place. 

Fourteen percent of respondents say they attended over 10 funerals. In Kerry that figure rose to almost a third - 29% - closely followed by almost a quarter of people in Limerick and Tipperary where the figure was 24%.  

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 Most funerals in Ireland take place over three days and 84% of people believe this is about the right time. However, 14% believe this is too fast while 1% think it’s too slow. 

 While 83% of Irish people believe a funeral should be a celebration of life and 33% say they like to see some non-traditional features at funerals, almost one in five prefer a more traditional approach.

Mr Kelly said that while there was a clear urban rural divide with regard to some of the findings, there were also some interesting regional variations. 

 “It’s clear that people from outside Dublin go to more funerals. For example, in Connacht the average over the past 12 months is six while in Dublin its three. In Leinster as a whole its four.” 

 “While 83% believe funerals should be a celebration of the person’s life, a significant minority, almost a fifth believe black should be worn where possible while the same number said a funeral should always be a formal, sombre event.

"When we broke it down by county it appears more people in Tipperary favour a traditional approach towards funerals.”  

The findings of the survey show that in Tipperary 76% agree that funerals should be a celebration of life – the lowest number – while 25% believe black should always be worn and 23% believe a funeral should always be a formal sombre event.

These were the highest numbers in the country for those questions.