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Old Dromod Cemetery
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
The bell of Mastergeehy Church rang across the Valley of Cummeragh, County Kerry, calling its inhabitants to church for the Requiem Mass of Colm Gilchrist. Colm, a young man of only thirty-nine years, had died four days previous in a tragic boating accident while out fishing for his family. A sudden squall had come up and his little dinghy was not able to stand up against the fierce waters of the Irish Sea. A wave larger than he had ever seen suddenly swept him out of the boat and threw him under water. Within seconds his head was bashed against the underside of the dinghy and he was knocked unconscious. Unable to fight, Colm died mercifully quick in the cold, stormy waters.
A day later his body washed up on the shore near Cahirciveen, County Kerry. As a young couple was walking along the shore they saw Colm's body float in. Even as they screamed, they inched towards the body to see who it was. Immediately they recognized the body as that of the talented carpenter that had finished their new home only a few months before. They ran to get the local constable and it was not long before Constable Ryan arrived and verified the identity of the corpse. With more than a touch of discomfort, Constable Ryan knew that he was going to have to go and tell Colm's family that he was dead.
Constable Ryan hated this duty more than any other. He would now have to go out to the valley of Cummeragh and tell Margaret Gilchrist that her husband was dead. He knew that she was already worried since he had not come home after the fishing trip as he promised, but why, Dear Lord, did this have to happen? Colm was a young man. Thirty-nine years old! He had a wife and six children! He was the most talented carpenter in all of County Kerry. Even the British Authorities would call on him to work for them, even though he was Catholic.
"Well," thought Constable Ryan, "Let's get this over with."
As he rode his horse out to the Gilchrist cottage, he wondered what he was going to say. How could he tell this dear woman that her husband was dead? How would Seamus, Yvonne, Martin, Paul, Breda, and Tomas react when they heard that their father was no longer with them? Constable Ryan was getting more and more chewed up inside as he made the journey from Cahirciveen to the Valley of Cummeragh.
As he passed Old Dromod Cemetery he thought that he saw a grave being dug on the west side of the old ruined church. "Could they be digging Colm's grave already?" he wondered. But this was not reasonable. He was coming to make the official notification of death. Right now, he was the only one who knew for sure that Colm had drowned. Maybe someone else had died that he did not know about.
As he approached the Gilchrist cottage he noticed something odd, or so it seemed at the moment. A candle was burning in the window. Constable Ryan knew, of course, that candles were often placed in the home's front window on Christmas Eve to tell Mary and Joseph that they were welcome in that home in preparation for the coming of Baby Jesus. But Christmas was some weeks off. Why would they have a candle burning in the window now?
As Constable Ryan was hitching his horse to the fence around the Gilchrist Cottage, Margaret Gilchrist came out the door and simply said,
"Constable, I know why you've come. Colm is dead. That's why we have the candle burning for the happy repose of his soul. He's dead, isn't he? He died in that terrible storm at sea, he did. Is that why you've come?"
"Margaret, my dear Margaret, how did you know? How could you have known that Colm drowned? His body is over in Cahirciveen and I've just left him at the Undertakers Parlour. How could you have known, dear Margaret?"
"Constable, Constable Ryan. I knew, I just knew. I don't know how I knew, I just knew. When Colm didn't come home the other night I knelt down by our bed and prayed and prayed. I felt bad that I was so tired that pretty soon I just drifted off asleep. As I was sleeping, I had like a dream. And Colm came to me and said, "Maggie, I'm all right. I don't want you to be worrying about the likes of me. I'm ok." Well, Constable, I knew that if Colm was OK in the normal way, he would have been home lying there with me in bed. So, I knew that in the providence of our good God, Colm had gone home."
At that Margaret made the Sign of the Cross and prayed, "God rest your good soul, dear Colm!"
Constable Ryan did not know what more to say or do. Margaret seemed to be peaceful enough. He found it especially remarkable that Margaret was not bitter, seeing as she now had to take care of six children all alone. Constable Ryan thought to himself that if he were in her shoes he would be out cursing up a storm.
"Margaret, what are you going to do now? You've got six little mouths to take care of!"
"I don't know; I really don't know. But there is something that I do know. God will take care of us! Sure He will!"
Just then the door opened and in walked Seamus, Colm's sixteen year old son. Constable Ryan stood and held out his arms and hugged Seamus. Seamus burst into tears while Constable Ryan just patted his back and said over and over again,
"Seamus, I'm so sorry!"
After a moment, Margaret called to her son,
"Seamus, go out back and clean up! I'll have something for you to eat in just a moment. Go on now! Off with you!"
"What about him Margaret? How is he doing?"
With a deep sigh, Margaret acknowledged that Seamus was very much troubled by his father's death. She told Constable Ryan that Seamus had been out digging his father's grave in Old Dromod Cemetery.
"I thought I saw something going on there as I rode by. Who helped him?"
"Nobody, nobody went with him. He insisted that he wanted to do the job by himself. What could I do?"
"No, Margaret, he had to do that. I bet he needed to be alone and think about things."
"Well, he's not the only one that needs to think about things. I need to think about things too. I was glad that he was away for a time and now I think I know what I need to say to him."
Just then Seamus came back into the family room and wondered what the look on Constable Ryan's face meant. He sat down and his mother put a bowl stew in front of him and said,
"Eat up, boy! The next few days are going to be long for all of us."
Just then there was a knock on the door and in walked Father Kennedy, the parish priest from Mastergeehy Church. He opened his arms and said,
"Margaret, Margaret, what are we going to do?"
"Well, I don't know what I'm going to do, but I know what you're going to do! You're going to sit down and have something to eat with Seamus and Constable Ryan here. Sit, Father!"
Father Kennedy knew that there was no use arguing with Margaret once her mind was made. So, he sat down and she placed a bowl of stew before him and another before Constable Ryan. After saying a blessing, Father Kennedy began to eat his meal.
Margaret spoke up and said to everyone,
"All right. Now I have the three most important people in my life together. You all know that my dear Colm had gone to his eternal reward. God rest his soul."
Father Kennedy, along with the others, turned his eyes towards Seamus, wondering how he would take this news. Though he was only sixteen years old, Seamus was able to speak in a clear, even voice. Making the Sign of the Cross, he said,
"I know, I know he is dead. You don't have to worry about me. I've been out to Old Dromod Cemetery and I have his grave all dug right next to his father's grave, on the right side of Dromid Church. It's all ready for him. God have mercy on his soul!"
Margaret looked with such love in her eyes at her son that she wondered how she was going to do what had to be done. She went over and kissed him on the top of his head as he tried to brush her away,
"Aw, Ma, don't be getting mushy on me now!"
Gently Margaret tapped the side of Seamus' head, and said,
"You be good now. Constable Ryan, can I speak with you outside, please?"
"Surely, Margaret, surely."
As he rose from the table, Seamus rose and followed his mother and the constable outside. Margaret started to tell Seamus to go back in with Father Kennedy, but the look in his eyes told her any such admonition would be useless.
When the door closed behind Seamus, Margaret asked,
"Constable, how bad is he? Can I see the body?"
"Margaret, he was under water for too long."
"But it was only two days," objected Seamus.
"I know it was only two days, but you must understand that the water does terrible things to the body in times like this. You see, your father's body is swollen, Seamus, and he barely looks like himself. Maybe some fish or birds or something may have tried to eat parts of your father's flesh. I don't know."
Seamus winced at this news as his mother asked,
"What did the undertaker in Cahirciveen say? Can we give him a decent Christian burial?"
"Oh, you can, Margaret, yes, you can. O'Connell said that he had a casket all ready for him and that what he suggested was that you let him wrap Colm in a shroud. He said that if you want to see him, he will leave the face open, but he said that it would be easiest for him to just wrap up the body in a shroud and not try to put his Sunday clothes on him."
Seamus had a puzzled look on his face and asked,
"What's a shroud?"
Constable Ryan turned apologetically to Seamus and simply said,
"Seamus, it's like a large sheet, but very nice. The undertaker said that this kind of case is hard to deal with and this makes it easier on everyone. Otherwise your Pa would look like he had been stuffed into his clothes and you know that Pa was not a fat man like me!"
Seamus smiled and nodded as his mother spoke up,
"When can O'Connell get him over to us?"
"He told me tomorrow afternoon, if you like."
"Well, let's go see what Father Kennedy says."
When they returned to the family room, Margaret saw that Father Kennedy had not eaten any of his stew. While she would have scolded him for not eating, she knew that there were other matters to be discussed. So, she simply said,
"Father, the constable here says that O'Connell, the undertaker in Cahirciveen, can bring Colm over to us tomorrow so that we can lay him to rest in the grave that Seamus here has prepared for his father."
She glanced with love at her son and again made the Sign of the Cross as she continued,
"When can have the Requiem for Colm?"
"Constable Ryan, what did O'Connell say about the condition of the body? Can we bring him into the Church. You know, what with the...
"Father, O'Connell said that everything would be ok, that he would sprinkle some stuff on Colm before wrapping him in the shroud so that he, well you, wouldn't sssss..."
"Stink, Constable? I know what happens to dead bodies. I remember when we found that sheep that died during the night a couple of months back. He stunk real bad by the time we found him and so Pa and I dug a hole right away and shoved him into it."
With an embarrassed look on his face, Constable Ryan simply said,
"Yes, Seamus, so that your father will not smell bad in the Church. The stuff is some kind of special powder undertakers use."
Before the conversation continued to drift away from the necessary business, Margaret brought it back with a direct question to Father Kennedy,
"Father, can we wake Colm tomorrow night at half seven in the Church with the Rosary and then have the Requiem Mass at half ten Friday morning? And then we'll be going to Old Dromod Cemetery to lay him to rest next to his daddy in the grave that Seamus here dug for him. Is that all right, Father?"
"Margaret, that will be fine. Is there anything I can do for you? What about your other children? Where are they right now?"
"Bridget McGinty took them for me. They know their Pa is dead and Bridget, she's a good woman she is, said that she would keep them for me so that I could take care of things in peace and quiet. But, Father, I was wondering if you could lead us in the Sorrowful Mysteries for dear Colm? I know he'd want that, if possible, Father."
"Sure, Margaret, sure. We'll do that right now."
They all knelt down and pulled out their rosaries as Father Kennedy began,
"In the name of the Father................................"
For a moment Constable Ryan wondered what the Chief County Constable would think if he knew that he was saying the Rosary while on duty, but he didn't really care. It was his duty to comfort Margaret Gilchrist as best as he could and if saying the Rosary was what it took, then God be praised, he was going to say the Rosary. Besides, he thought, how would they ever know that he was praying while on duty?
As Father Kennedy's voiced rose up and down through the Sorrowful Mysteries, Seamus was lost in thought. It had been a hard thing to go out to the cemetery and dig his father's grave. The ground was pretty dry and didn't seem to like having the shovel being stuck in it. But sometimes you just do what you have to do. During the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery, the Carrying of the Cross, Seamus felt his mother looking over at him. He forced himself not to look at her and continued to finger his beads and respond to Father Kennedy prayers.
As the Rosary ended, Father Kennedy stood and gave his blessing and thanked Margaret and Seamus for their faith and courage at this time. He told them that he liked seeing the candle in the window and that he would be praying for them.
As the constable and Father Kennedy left the Gilchrist cottage, Seamus followed them out, telling his mother that he had to get something he left at the cemetery. She started to tell him that it could wait, but he waved her off and hopped on his bicycle and road off to Old Dromod Cemetery. "Really," he thought to himself, "I don't need to go to the cemetery, but I know what she is up to and I don't want to be around."
Seamus parked his bicycle at the cemetery gates and walked up the right side of the old church and inspected his work. He checked his measurements and was sure that the grave was big enough for his father. Colm was not a big man, but Seamus didn't want any trouble with the pallbearers carried his father from Mastergeehy Church. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect.
Assuring himself that his work was perfect he sat down next to his father's grave and closed his eyes and drifted off in sleep. The clanging of Mastergeehy's bell woke him up and Seamus wondered what time it was? This must be the bell for the Six O'clock Perpetual Novena Service that Father Kennedy was so devoted to. He ran to the gate and got on his bicycle and raced home to his mother.
As he came inside, he called out,
"Ma! Ma! Where are you?"
"I'll be there in a moment, boy! Just be patient now!"
Seamus paced up and down, worried that his mother was going to be worried about him. When Margaret came in from the outhouse, she went over and kissed Seamus on the forehead and asked,
"How are you, Seamus? Did you get what you left at the cemetery? What's on your mind, Seamus? Do you want to talk?"
"Yeah, Ma, everything is ok at the cemetery. Pa's grave is plenty big enough and I trimmed the weeds on grandpa's grave, so everything is ready."
"Seamus, I can't tell you how proud I am of you! You are the great son. Your Pa would be so proud of you!"
With that she kissed him on the top of his head as he blushed a deep red.
"Ma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Would you like a piece of ham? Bridget McGinty brought some over for us after she fed your brothers and sisters."
Seamus said that he would like some, but first he need to use the outhouse. When he came in, his mother admonished him,
"Seamus, always remember that you need to wash your hands. Soon enough you'll not be having the likes of me to watch out for you. Wash your hands!"
Seamus gratefully accepted the ham from his mother and wolfed it down with a glass of fresh water. When he was finished, he told his mother that he needed to go out and take care of some things in the barn. Margaret would liked to have sat her son down for a talk, but she could tell that he was in no mood to face business and so she let him know. The time would come soon enough.
A few hours later when Seamus came inside the house, he went over and kissed his mother and said,
"Ma, I'm tired. I'll be going upstairs now. I'll see you tomorrow morning"
"The angels watch over you tonight, son. God be with you!"
"And with you too, Ma!"
With that, Seamus ran upstairs and laid down on his bed. Even before he could undress, he was fast asleep. The next thing he know he heard his mother calling him,
"Seamus, where are you? Are you going to spend the whole day in bed now?"
Seamus ran downstairs and to the outhouse. As he came in his mother started to tell him to wash his hands, but he beat her to it and said,
"Ma, I'm going to wash my hands now!"
Margaret smiled as she ladled a bowl of porridge for Seamus. She laid it in front of him and he ate it with pleasure. She then poured him a cup of good, strong coffee and he seemed to drink it in one big gulp.
Before she could ask him what he was going to be up to that day, Seamus grabbed his coat and told his mother that he needed to do some things and that he would be back later. She reminded him,
"Now, remember Seamus, we wake your father tonight at half seven up at Mastergeehy and you'll be wanting something to eat before that. So, be back here at a reasonable time. Promise me this, son, promise me!"
"Ma, I promise! You do not need to worry about me! Please!"
"I know, son, I know. It's just that your mother worries. I worry since............."
"Ma, you don't need to be worrying about me, ok?"
"May the angels watch over you today, dear Seamus, may they protect you always!"
With that Seamus disappeared for the day. He loved his mother, he loved her dearly, but he needed to get away. And so off he rode down the road to Waterville. He wanted to take a look at the dock where his father left from on that fateful morning.