Coming to a screen near you soon...live Irish funerals

Irish people living abroad can now share family bereavements through internet broadcasts of funerals.

‘Funerals Live’ is the brainchild of Clare businessman Alan Foudy, who has announced plans to create up to 10 jobs over the next 18 months as the service is rolled out.

He said: “Wherever in the world our client may be, whether it is in Australia or the United States, this service provides them with a private weblink to a live stream of a funeral service or the option of a video recording of the entire service, including the burial, within two hours of its conclusion.”

Mr Foudy said this venture, the only service of its kind being offered in Ireland and Britain, arose after he was asked to make a DVD of a funeral service for relatives and friends of the deceased whose funeral they could not attend.

He said: “The general feeling was that a live webcast or a delayed broadcast of the service would be a better option rather than having to wait up to two weeks for a DVD to arrive by post.”

“With the approval of the relevant parish priest and family members, I provide live, streamed footage and audio of funerals in the church and graveyard subject to the availability of broadband on location.

“The entire service can also be made available online no more than two hours after the funeral service, with prices for all services starting from €350. The weblink is password-protected so as to ensure only people who you want to see it will see it.

“Based on our initial work, we expect that the majority of clients we will be working on behalf of will include either family members or friends of the deceased who have not been able to travel to Ireland to attend a funeral. We also expect that the service will be particularly useful to persons in hospitals or nursing homes who are unable to attend services.”

* For more visit www.funeralslive.ie