Voice Beyond The Grave
Mourners in Ireland were taken aback when they heard a voice emerge from the grave.
On Saturday, attendees at the funeral of Irish Defence Force veteran Shay Bradley in Kilmanagh, Leinster, heard him call out from the grave, "Let me out."
The Shock Among The Crowd
"Let me out, it's dark here, is that the priest I hear?" said the voice again. "My name is Shay, and I'm in the box."
The people were shocked and horrified.
Bewildered
People stared at the lowered down coffin completely bewildered. Did they hear it right?
Was it really Shay or was it something entirely else? The next thing they hear changed the surrounding atmosphere entirely.
Big Surprise
"Hello, I just called to say goodbye," came the following words from down below. Hearing this the crowd burst out laughing.
They finally realised what was really happening.
Recorded Message
Andrea Bradley, Mr Bradley's daughter, explained on Twitter that her father had recorded the message before passing away, and it was played through a speaker attached to the coffin.
She also stated that it was her father's dying wish to make everyone laugh one more time.
The Prank
Before he died, he devised an elaborate prank to give his mourners something to laugh about at his burial.
To all intents and purposes, he appeared to be yelling for help from within his coffin.
Morbid or Funny?
This type of morbid humour may not have gone down well in some countries. But, thankfully, this was Ireland.
The video shows mourners gathered around Shay's open grave clapping while bagpipe music plays. Suddenly, the music stops and a man can be heard shouting "hello" and knocking on what appears to be the coffin's inside.
A Hilarious Gag
Mourners in the audience can be seen burst out laughing before the camera pans to the casket where the sound is coming from.
It was a hilarious gag that received a lot of attention online.
Shared On Social Media
The daughter shared the video on Social Media where it has garnered thousands of enthusiastic replies and has been seen over one million times since Sunday.
She was quoted as, “Myself and my family are overwhelmed with the amazing response and comments we have received regarding my dad’s funeral. He truly is a legend and was the most amazing man!!! He would be overjoyed to know how many smiles and laughs he has given to everyone. Thank you all.”
People's Responses
Many people responded to the viral video on Twitter and Facebook. Bradley's sense of humour was also well-liked.
@samcro1882 replied, "Fantastic sense of humour and the mourners took it their stride too." @GeekyMom commented, "I'm crying and laughing at the same time. In the immortal words of Truvy: 'Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.' Love to you all."
Father's Illness
Andrea Bradley said her father had been ill for three years before dying on October 8th.
She told the News: "He was always full of life and he was big stature but even bigger in personality.
Planning The Prank
Mr. Bradley and his son, Andrea's brother had come up with this prank over a year ago.
Very few family members knew about their prank. This left a very large pool of friends and family to prank.
Taken By Surprise
Some of the mourners were taken by surprise hearing the voice coming from the grave, which was actually coming from a speaker from the ground.
One of the aunts even got a big shock, but a few moments later, she realised it was his last joke. His way of saying goodbye.
Family Left Behind
Shay was farewelled at his home on Friday before being taken to St. Kevin's Church in Kilnamanagh and then to Bohernabreena Cemetery on Saturday.
His devoted wife Anne and children Jonathan, Susanne, James, and Andrea, as well as eight offspring, survive him.
A Good Send-off
The dearly departed grandfather had the last laugh with a gag that had mourners in tears of laughter.
That's how you give someone a good send-off.