Is this one of the best changes to remain with us post-pandemic?

Attending funerals remotely may now be here to stay, and that seems like a very positive thing.

It’s hard to believe how much havoc COVID wreaked across the globe in just a few years. However, one of the things that really stands out is how quickly society and institutions adapted to the restrictions put in place to cope with the pandemic. Now, with these restrictions relaxed in most of the world, there are some positive changes that were made that we’re still benefiting from today.

Recently, an uncle who lives in Ireland died. He was a popular member of his community and had many friends, and was also part of a large extended family. Unfortunately, living in France and having family obligations here, I was unable to attend the funeral. Thankfully, the family shared a link from RIP.ie to be able to watch the funeral from a distance.

While RIP.ie launched in 2005, the pandemic saw a rise in people leaving digital condolences when numbers at funerals were strictly limited. The website also became popular for people to connect and watch the funeral service of a loved one when they couldn’t attend — and this has continued today.

So not only could I view my uncle’s entire service, I could also see other family members who were in attendance. While not an ideal solution, it certainly made me feel I could participate in his farewell in a small way. I also felt very fortunate to be able to re-watch the funeral with my older children when they returned home from school, thanks to the funeral link being available for a number of days.

For my elderly parents this service has also proved a bit of a godsend. Again, living in a different country, they’ve been unable to attend many funerals of friends they grew up with. However, they’ve been logging on to the site and have participated from afar.

Of course, there’s nothing better than being able to attend a funeral in person, but there are so many people who are elderly, infirm, or maybe don’t have the financial resources to travel thousands of miles to attend funerals of loved ones who’ve passed away.

This one website, which is similar to others worldwide, has revealed just how much people need to pay their respects, and what a privilege it is to be able to take part in funeral services, even from a distance.