Music to say goodbye
Losing someone you love is one of the hardest things you will ever face. Having been bereaved, I understand. If you need music for the funeral of someone dear to you, I will hold your hand through it.
My name is Kathleen Kinsella. I am a trained soprano and a chaplain, and singing at funerals has been part of my life since I was a child. Music for the hardest days is something I truly understand — I sang at my own father's and my own mother's funerals. I know the weight those days carry.
Whether it's a funeral in a church or a celebration of life at a secular ceremony, I'm very at home in it, and I have a vast repertoire that lends itself to both.
The right music at a funeral doesn't draw attention to itself. It creates a cushion — something to hold everyone gently through that difficult time of saying goodbye to your loved one. For me, the right music doesn't need to do more than support you through the ceremony: to help you remember, reflect, and simply be present.
How I'll look after you
Reach out
A call, a text, a WhatsApp — start wherever feels comfortable, and I'll take it gently from there. When you're ready, tell me about the person you've lost. We can meet if you'd like — I'll listen, and I'll understand what this day needs to be. From that moment, the music is no longer something you have to worry about.
We'll find the right music
I'm a chaplain as well as a singer, so I stand with families on days like this, and I understand the liturgy — what music is needed, and when.
A funeral has different moments, and each one asks for its own music. I can guide you to where each piece belongs. If your loved one had a favourite song and I don't know it, I can learn it.
On the day
I have sung at religious, secular, and spiritual services all my life, and I am at home in every one of them. Whoever is leading the ceremony — priest, celebrant, or funeral director — I'll work quietly alongside them, so that the music simply happens around you, and you are free to be with the people you love.
During the Service
‘The Lord Is My Shepherd’ (Psalm 23)
Every piece of music is chosen carefully by your family. I take care to get a sense of the person who has passed, and of the atmosphere you would like to create — because it isn't only which song is sung, it's the way it's sung.
I'm not there to be heard above the day. I'm there to support your family through the music, and through my singing I'll show that respect — to your loved one, and to everyone who came to say goodbye.
Whatever songs matter to you, there is a place for them.
Some Suggestions
Abide With Me · The Lord Is My Shepherd · Ave Maria · Panis Angelicus You Raise Me Up · Pie Jesu · Nella Fantasia
At the Graveside
‘The Parting Glass’ (Traditional Irish folk song)
Once the service is over, the music at the graveside can be anything your family would like — a favourite song, a song the family sings, a song from your county.
It's usually sung at the lowering of the coffin, which is the hardest moment of the day. I'll be there among you, quietly, ready to sing when the time comes. There are no speakers to set up and no microphones — my voice will carry. Nobody will be moving equipment while you're saying goodbye.
I'm there to support you, not to be seen.
Some Suggestions
Time to Say Goodbye · The Parting Glass ·
Wind Beneath My Wings · Danny Boy
Memorial/Non-Religious Ceremony
‘What a Wonderful World’ (Louis Armstrong)
A memorial is a time of remembrance. It might come a month or a year after the funeral, or be the day itself, if there's no religious service. Without a liturgy a ceremony is often shorter, and more personal for it.
There's no set order, so you decide how the day goes and where the music belongs. If you'd like, I can do more than sing — I've organised and run secular ceremonies myself, so I can help with the shape of the day, and with readings and poetry.
Liturgy or not, the care is the same.
Some Suggestions
Fields of Gold · What a Wonderful World Somewhere Over the Rainbow My Way · Supermarket Flowers
Whatever way is easiest for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are some of the questions families ask me most often about funerals. If you're wondering about me more generally — who I am, what I do — you'll find those answers in the FAQ’s on the home page.
And if you can't find what you need, just contact me — I'm happy to help.
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Yes. I understand that funerals come quickly; call me and I'll do everything I can to be there.
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That's completely normal, and it's what I'm here for. Tell me about the person you've lost, and I'll suggest music that honours them — you'll have the final say on everything.
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Yes — whatever the song, I'll have it learned in time for the service.
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Either. I know the liturgy inside out, and I'm equally comfortable at secular and spiritual services.
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Yes, anywhere in Ireland.