My Father's Wake
How the Irish Teach Us to Live, Love and Die
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My Father's Wake
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Narrated by:
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Kevin Toolis
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By:
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Kevin Toolis
About this listen
Death is a whisper in the Anglo-Saxon world. But on a remote island off the coast of Co. Mayo, it has a louder voice. Along with reports of incoming Atlantic storms, the local radio station runs a thrice daily roll call of ordinary deaths. The islanders go in great numbers, often with young children, to wake with their dead. They keep the corpse and the bereaved company through the long hours of the night. They dig the grave with their own hands. It is a communal triumph in overcoming the death of the individual.
In this beautifully written memoir, Kevin Toolis gives an intimate eyewitness account of the death and wake of his father and explores the wider history of the Irish wake. With an uplifting, positive message at its heart, My Father's Wake celebrates the spiritual depth of the Irish wake and asks if we can find a better way to deal with our mortality by living and loving in the acceptance of death.
Written and read by Kevin Toolis.
©2017 Kevin Toolis (P)2017 Orion Publishing GroupWhat listeners say about My Father's Wake
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Country Lass
- 10-03-2023
Death never told truer. A revelation.
An unswervingly honest portrayal of death on a small, poor Irish island. The islanders, though physically poor, show in our visit to Sonny Toole's deathbed as rich in deep connection and understanding of dying and the dead. The haunting, poignant tale switches between the life and death of Sonny (the author's father) and death in the wider world, in all her forms. Shocking, real, truthful. I found this raw and right on the money. Some listeners may feel uncomfortably jarred, but your view of death will never be the same again. Highly recommended.
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