A quarter of Kerry County Councillors surveyed by Radio Kerry say they feel pressure to attend funerals.
The anonymous poll conducted on the Kerry Today show contacted 28 out of the 33 councillors on the local authority.
It was carried out after Cllr Aoife Thornton who won’t be contesting this summer’s local elections said some constituents expected politicians to attend all funerals and functions in their area.
She said this adds a lot of pressure.
Radio Kerry asked councillors if there is pressure on them to go to funerals for fear of being criticised or even losing votes.
The poll paid particular focus on funerals where the councillor would not know the deceased or their family.
Sixty-eight percent surveyed said that they felt no pressure to attend, however, 25 per cent said that they did.
Seven percent said they were unsure.
Some councillors felt they were obliged to go to funerals and that they’d be missed if they didn’t go.
Others felt it was cynical to attend when you had no connection to the deceased or the family.
Those surveyed agreed there was greater pressure to attend funerals in rural areas compared to towns.
Councillors also mentioned the value of sites such as RIP.ie where you could post condolences instead of attending in person.
Finally, one councillor suggested that if they did not attend the deceased might not make it into heaven, bringing political influence to a new level.
