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<cackles with laughter> Habit, probably, as much as anything. Comfort obtained by observance of psycho-supportive ritual. Round here, wakes are big, both in numbers and significance. Folk like to go to funerals also, to show up, to pay their respects. Tho in places like the Catholic end of Manchester, funerals get pretty packed out too, even though it all ends at the crematorium. Spuds don't hold quite the same place in the national consciousness as they used to, though. Idea for a thesis: Sea change in corpse disposal methods provoked by modern dietary theory with particular emphasis on the Atkins and Protein Power diets. Declan <<<<<Declan Fox wrote: >> Couldn't say. As I said, I am no expert on this but I have never heard of a Catholic over here being cremated! So must be some substance to the belief, if not the rationale for the belief.>>> 50% bullshit 50% habit 50% something completely other than what it is said to be but reasonably understandable if one could get an actual statement of what is. Now, if we assume that insectivorous flowering plants are a suitable model for people's motivations (in which we are well within the parameters of precision established by the management of the NHS) and we assume that the prejudice of most London- - or even English-based people that Ireland is boggy is correct; and we assume that potatoes require Nitrogen, then it becomes obvious that the Irish must be buried. If on the other hand we concentrated on phosphates, we would be well outside my knowledge of gardening, FOr the avoidance of all doubt, this is not a serious posting.>>>