By Erich Falconer, Falconers Undertakers, Tramore
At Falconers, we are asking for your help.
Very soon, through RIP Ireland, we hope to offer families the option of receiving practical gifts and support after a funeral. Not just flowers, although flowers will always have their place and their beauty, but real, useful support that can make the days and weeks after a funeral a little easier.
That could be a meal delivered to the door. Help with a garden. A voucher for a local service. A thoughtful gift from a Waterford business. Something small that says, “we are thinking of you,” but also quietly helps when life feels very heavy.
So today, I would love to ask our community this:
Do you know a local supplier who could help a family after a funeral?
It might be a food business, a florist, a gardener, a cleaner, a local café, a wellness provider, a gift company, a tradesperson, or someone offering a service we have not even thought of yet. If they are kind, reliable, local and willing to be part of something meaningful, we would love to hear about them.
This is all part of the wider aftercare system we are building with RIP Ireland, combining memorial walls, gifts, tributes and optional financial support.
Over the past while, Falconers has been proud to pioneer RIP Ireland memorial walls for families in Waterford. These walls give families a digital space where their loved one can be remembered long after the death notice has passed.
A death notice is usually there for a few days.
A memorial wall can stay with a family.
It gives people a place to leave messages, share photos, light digital candles, send gifts and, where the family chooses, offer voluntary financial support towards funeral expenses — from anywhere in the world.
That last part matters.
We have seen families allow their community to support them in a new way, and it has been deeply moving. Not every family will want this, and that is completely okay. It is always optional. But for the families who do choose it, we have seen how much it can mean when people are given a real way to help.
Two recent memorial walls show what this can look like.
The family of Laura Kontautaite created a memorial wall where friends, neighbours and loved ones could leave tributes and offer voluntary support during an incredibly difficult time:
Similarly, the family of Karen Fitzgerald chose to create a memorial wall that allowed people to share memories, messages and practical support in her memory:
These memorials are not simply webpages.
They are places where communities gather.
Where people abroad can participate.
Where memories are preserved.
And where practical help can be offered in a way that feels natural, respectful and family-led.
Because sometimes people want to do more than say, “I’m sorry.”
Sometimes they want to ease practical pressures.
Sometimes they want to send support from abroad.
Sometimes they want to stand beside a family in a practical way, when words alone do not feel enough.
And that is why we are doing this.
At Falconers, we have always believed that caring for a family does not end when the funeral ends. In many ways, that is when a different kind of care begins.
The days after a funeral can be very quiet.
The visitors slow down.
The phone stops ringing as much.
People go back to their own routines.
But for the family, the loss is still there. The practical pressure can still be there too.
That is why aftercare matters.
It is why we introduced Star Kids Care Packs for children and families. It is why we try to write death notices that feel more personal. It is why we keep looking for better ways to support families, not just on the day of the funeral, but in the days, weeks and months that follow.
RIP Ireland is part of that same thinking.
It is not here to replace the human support of neighbours, friends, relatives, work colleagues and community. It is here to make that support easier to give, easier to receive and easier to remember.
We are very grateful to every family who has trusted us enough to allow their community to support them in this way. We know that accepting help is not always easy. We also know that many people in the community are grateful to have a meaningful way to show they care.
One recent family kindly shared these words with us:
“Thank you for the help you provided for my father’s funeral, William Maher. You were a great help to my family and made the whole process so much smoother. Nothing was too much trouble and made a difficult time that bit easier.”
That is what we want every family to feel.
Not that everything has been fixed, because nothing can fix the loss of someone you love.
But that the path was made a little smoother.
That the family felt held.
That the community had a way to gather around them.
That practical support was available without awkwardness, pressure or judgement.
Flowers are lovely.
They are part of how we show care, and they will always matter.
But we also believe there is room for another kind of support.
A dinner on the table.
A garden cut.
A house cleaned.
A small repair done.
A thoughtful gift delivered.
A contribution towards funeral costs.
A photo shared.
A candle lit.
A message left that the family can return to again and again.
These are not just features on a website.
They are ways of saying,
“You are not on your own.”
Together with RIP Ireland, we hope to make these supports available to more funeral homes and more families across Ireland.
Before we do, we want to build it properly, with the right people.
So if you know a local supplier in Waterford who could help a family after a funeral, please let us know.
We are looking for practical, thoughtful, trustworthy businesses who understand that this is not just about selling a gift.
It is about being part of a care network around families at one of the hardest times in life.
If that sounds like someone you know, or if it sounds like your own business, we would be very grateful to hear from you.
Thank you to every family who has trusted us.
Thank you to our community for continuing to support each other.
And thank you to everyone helping us build something kinder, more practical and more connected for families in Waterford and, soon, across Ireland.
Erich Falconer
Falconers Undertakers, Tramore