Man Erects His Own Gravestone, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland 1971

A Kilkenny man is taking no chances and has erected his headstone at the grave where he will be buried.

75 year old Patrick Morrissey from Kilkenny has made the unusual decision to erect his own gravestone while he is still alive. Cathal O’Shannon travelled to meet the man who has his grave ready for the inevitable day.

Patrick Morrissey explains that he does not believe his sons would bother marking his grave with stone, even if he left them the money to do so.

A proud member of the Sinn Féin party from 1914 – 1921, many of his comrades from the time are now dead, so he cannot rely on them for a headstone either. So he decided to do it himself.

You’re getting old now Paddy I says, and the best thing you can do is to put up a memory stone to yourself before you get too old.

He saved for the headstone over a two-year period and a man in Carlow carved it for him. Patrick Morrissey is not at all worried that erecting the gravestone might be tempting fate and be responsible for his early demise. His philosophy on life is

Live as long as I can, die when I can’t help it.

A ‘Newsbeat’ report broadcast on 1 June 1971. The reporter is Cathal O’Shannon.