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For the Irish, emigration was like death. People saw little difference between going to America and going to the grave so unlikely were they ever to return. An American Wake brought the community together to help the family cope with the grief of parting and to go on living, no matter how great the loss by giving both the emigrants and those left behind a night to remember for the rest of their lives.
The audience/neighbours gathered in the “kitchen” of the O’Mahoney household and gave the emigrants a memorable send-off. It was a night of music, story and poetry, tea & barmbrack with laughter and tears.
