Consideration should be given towards the creation of a free state-run death notice website, following the latest decision by RIP.ie to charge €100 for funeral listings, according to Social Democrats TD, Jennifer Whitmore.
A number of competing online platforms have arisen in the wake of the country’s leading death notice platform’s new fee of €100 for its services, excluding VAT, which came into effect on January 1, 2025.
The controversial decision to charge for death notices was taken after the website was acquired by The Irish Times Group, on May 2, 2024, and was subsequently met with widescale public criticism.
The Wicklow TD has condemned the decision, which she believes, will only add to grieving family’s burdens during their time of bereavement.
RIP.ie
Whitmore said: “RIP.ie has proven to be a highly effective way of notifying people of deaths that occur in local communities around the country, with millions using the service to find out funeral details and express their condolences.
“The decision by the new owners of the popular website to introduce a €100 fee from the start of this year will undoubtedly impact the effectiveness of the service, as the charge will place an additional financial burden on bereaved families.
“The move has already led to plans for multiple new websites offering free or lower-cost alternatives to RIP.ie. This will inevitably result in a more fractured service, making it more difficult – particularly for elderly people living in rural areas – to find funeral details online.”
According to RIP.ie, the new fee of €100 excluding VAT, must be made payable to the funeral director responsible for publishing the deceased’s death notice on the website.
Condolences.ie, Depart.ie and DeathNotices.Irish are among the multiple substitute websites created in recent times, which provide a free alternative to the traditional death advertisement domain, RIP.ie.
However, the Social Democrats TD believes that such an influx of competing platforms will only serve to confuse bereaving families and has advocated for a state-run death notice website to resolve these potential challenges.
“In Ireland, funerals are something that we do particularly well, with communities coming together to offer support and comfort to bereaved families at very difficult times. The emergence of multiple death notice websites will not serve the public good.
“Instead of a situation where people have to navigate several online platforms to access funeral details, I believe consideration should now be given to setting up a State-run death notice website, offering a centralised service that is easy to use and free of charge for users,” she added.