'Making the ceremony meaningful': Friend's funeral inspires Midlands woman to become civil celebrant

Teresa Ryan, decided to become a celebrant after attending the funeral of a friend who wasn't religious.

Teresa, who is based in Tullamore, said ''the Catholic ceremony unfortunately didn’t reflect who he was and that experience inspired me to become a celebrant so I could offer families more personal choices when it comes to saying their last goodbye,” said Teresa.

Teresa emphasises that her ceremonies are centred on the wishes of the deceased and their families, ensuring it reflects the life that has been lived.

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"I have aligned myself with Entheos Ireland, where we believe in inclusion and choice. It’s not about whether you follow a religion or not; it’s about making the ceremony meaningful," she explains.

She comments how the move away from strictly religious ceremonies can sometimes ''better honour the deceased.''

Teresa focuses on making these ceremonies ''inclusive, trauma-informed, and centred on community, while providing a space to start the process of moving forward. “I don’t judge or prescribe how you should say goodbye. I listen and facilitate,” she added.

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''The increase in cremations, along with the preference for celebrant-led funerals, is largely an urban phenomenon, but the trend is beginning to spread to rural areas as well,'' said Teresa.

In 2010, only one in ten Irish families in the country opted for cremation, but today that number has already tripled.

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Teresa says that this shift is driven by factors including the formation of modern and multicultural families, less rigid adherence to religious practices, and the economic benefits of cremation over burial.

However, she says, rural mourners face logistical challenges due to the concentration of crematoriums in urban areas like Dublin, Limerick and Cork. Having to travel and negotiate busy roads into the cities adds extra stress and planning to bereaved families. Recognising this, Teresa has collaborated with Funeral Director and 2023 National President of the Irish Association of Funeral Directors, Tom Lawless to offer what she describes as a kinder alternative.

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Civil celebrants like Teresa Ryan don’t just preside over funeral ceremonies. She also conducts graveside ceremonies, ash-scattering events, memorial services, milestones, baby welcomings and of course weddings in a wide range of locations—from hotels and hospital chapels to private residences and any other place of personal significance to the family.

“When it comes to funerals, I work closely with the family and their funeral director to create a beautiful ceremony. I believe that every individual deserves a final acknowledgement which not only reflects their own unique personality and approach to life, but also one that honours and celebrate them."

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As a not-for-profit organisation, Entheos Ireland also operates a social enterprise initiative.

The fees received for ceremonies help fund projects such as Lara’s Legacy, Gra go Deo and Died with Pride to fund celebrants to hold end-of-life weddings and baby funerals free of charge which help alleviate the financial burden for these families. You can request the service of a celebrant directly, or through your funeral director.