RTÉ is working with funeral directors around the country to curate a website that will allow families to pay tribute to and remember loved ones who have died during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The virtual memorial wall will be supported by special memorial segments on RTÉ One television and RTÉ Radio One.
Head of RTÉ Radio One Tom McGuire said the idea’s origin is the value that Irish society and culture places on the ritual of funerals.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke, Mr McGuire said family and friends will be able to submit a picture of their loved one and a caption with their name and address, which can then be accessed online.
“To imagine this at best would be to take you to Liberty Island, where we look at the name of emigrants to the United States.
“We will be able to click on the name of the deceased loved one open up their picture and caption, a little virtual shrine where you can light a candle in memory of the loved one. It will give society a chance to remember at a time when as a community we haven’t been able to come together,” he said.
This is an all-island project, Mr McGuire said, and contributions will also be welcome from families who have lost members to Covid-19 abroad.
He said there will be small moments during the day when presenters on RTÉ television and radio “will recite the names of some of the loved ones who have passed.”
