Irish Wake Museum Tour Rituals of Death and Celebration of Life

A fantastic place to visit - for the subject itself and the story of the house. The tour with Alex was excellent.

Really interesting experience at this museum. Our guide Claire was very well informed and highly engaging. Really enjoyable experience.

Thought this would be a very different museum to experience, which in many ways it was! The Freedom Pass for Waterford is worth getting if you're there for a while. The building itself is really well restored, and there's some interesting reading and exhibitions. We found the tour engaging, however we felt for the 3/4 of the tour it was more about the history of Waterford and Ireland rather than talking about how death rituals have changed over time (maybe targeted at a more USA audience?). This essentially wasn't covered until the final room of the tour.

My wife and I did this tour this morning and absolutely loved it. It was one of the highlights of our visit to Waterford. The museum itself is beautifully restored, with parts of the original building dating back to the 1400s. The history of both the building and the Irish wake tradition is presented in a fascinating, engaging, and often humorous way. We learned so much about Irish funeral rituals while also discovering plenty of local Waterford history. Our guide, was outstanding—friendly, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and one of the best tour guides we've had. He kept everyone engaged throughout the 45-minute tour, encouraged questions, and delivered everything in a relaxed, chatty style that made the experience enjoyable from start to finish. After the guided tour, you're free to explore the exhibits and artefacts at your own pace, with plenty of opportunities to take photos. I particularly appreciated the thoughtful ending, which celebrates the lives of those we've lost and includes the chance to leave a personal note to loved ones. It was a touching and memorable way to finish the experience. The museum is also well thought out for accessibility, with seating available in each room and breaks between the two flights of stairs if needed. Whether you already know about Irish wake traditions or are completely new to them, this tour is well worth your time. I'd highly recommend booking in advance, as the small group sizes make the experience even better. A brilliant, informative, and genuinely memorable experience. Highly recommended! Oh, I hope our guide takes us up on the Idea of opening a Death Cafe after all death is an experience we all must face feel free to look it up on google A Death Cafe is a group gathering where people eat cake, drink tea, and talk openly about death. The main goal is to increase awareness of our finite lives to help people make the most of them.

Alex was a brilliant tour guide , kept everyone engaged the whole time . Loads of interesting facts , highly recommend!