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A family are gathered around a burial site in mourning for the loved one they lost. But suddenly the group erupt in laughter after a frustrated voice comes from the grave.
“Hello, hello. Let me out,” says the voice.
“Where the f**k am I? Let me out, let me out. It’s f**king dark in here. Is that the priest I can hear?”
It’s the voice of Shay Bradley, a 62-year-old Irish Defence Force veteran, who fulfilled his final wish to prank his family.
Shay had suffered from an undisclosed illness for three years and, when he realised death was imminent, had asked his daughter to prerecord a message.
"My dad and my brother Jonathan came up with this over a year ago and only a select few knew about it – his kids and grandkids," Shay’s daughter Andrea Bradley told Sky News.
In the recording, Shay eventually resorts to singing: "Hello again. Hello, hello, I just called to say goodbye."
Andrea says some of the funeralgoers were taken aback by the recording, which was broadcast through a speaker on the ground. But knowing Shay, they eventually realised it was a prank.
"One of his sister's got a big shock, but after a few seconds realised it must have been his last joke, his way to say goodbye.
"But also his way to say, 'Enough sadness; it's time to celebrate my life now.' So we went and did just that. We gave him an amazing sendoff and the online reaction has been incredible."
The video was first shared by the news service of the Irish Defence Force Veterans Associations (IDFVA) on Twitter, The Metro reports.
“It’s with great sadness that I was informed of the passing of our military brother and veteran colleague Shay Bradley,” the video was captioned.
“On behalf of the members of the IDFVA I extend our sincerest condolences and prayers to [his wife] Anne and family at this sad time. May Shay rest in peace.”
And after pulling off his final prank successfully, Shay surely will.
Sources: The Metro, Sky News, Independent.co.uk
