Lightening the load of the bereaved during these very stressful times

TEAM EFFORT... Some of those involved in Rev David Latimer’s latest projects.

The restrictions governments have introduced to slow the spread of COVID-19, which is the greatest challenge confronting all of us since the end of WWII, have succeeded in turning our lives completely upside down, writes Rev. David Latimer.

Necessary ‘social distancing’ measures are effectively interfering not just with the way we conduct our everyday living but with how our lives come to an end and the way we are buried.

New bereavement and burial procedures are so unbelievably different to what happened prior to the coronavirus pandemic crashing onto our shores.

Valued elements of grief, such as families coming together to hold one another, shake hands, hug and kiss, are not now happening because of the need to maintain the six-foot rule.

Quite recently, a former First Derry Church member, unable to travel to her sister’s funeral at Altnagelvin Cemetery due to the COVID-19 regulations, sent me a few lines from the song, ‘Beautiful Isle of Somewhere’, asking if it could be read at the graveside religious service. Strangely enough, this particular song became hugely popular after being sung at the funeral of US President William McKinley back in 1901.

Aware that “music is the moonlight in the gloomy night of life” persuaded me to end the funeral service by singing rather than reciting the comforting and consoling words of the song.

Sometimes people want to hear a song containing words they’re often afraid to say. ‘Beautiful Isle of Somewhere’ is one of those songs. Remarkably, it has connected me with a talented group of local musicians and singers - including Robert Goodman (Trumpet), Siobhan Molloy (Tin Whistle), Jim O’Hara (Piano), and Dr Nicola Herron and the Ardmore Parish Folk Group. Not only did we join together to sing ‘Beautiful Isle of Somewhere’, we recorded the song under the direction of David Mead, sound engineer for international singer Christy Moore.

Magilligan Prison has helped out in making face masks and scrubs.

At the same time, some other unexpected developments connected to the Covid crisis started to emerge such as First Derry parishioners responding to an appeal for redundant bed linen. A large quantity of unused and ‘good as new’ duvet covers, sheets, pillow cases, linen handkerchiefs, napkins etc., was recently handed over to Magilligan Prison for prisoners to make face coverings and scrubs. Liquid Creations, Newbuildings, and Qual Vecom, Dublin, have each generously donated containers of hand sanitising fluid, while a Top of the Hill lady, Agnes Webb, has been busy making a quantity of colourful face masks in her own home.

It is truly wonderful the way so many different groups have joined in to help out and, in the process, turned a small project into a wider cross community enterprise.

The availability online of our recording of ‘Beautiful Isle of Somewhere’ will, we believe, help lighten the load bereaved people are quietly carrying at this strange and stressful time. Moreover, handing over a consignment of face masks and hand sanitisers to gravediggers, ground maintenance teams and street cleansing workers across the Derry-Strabane Council area, will rightly highlight the invaluable work they do week after week on behalf of all of us during what is a very difficult time.

To hear the song, go to https://youtu.be/wKJUT07JicI