Irish funeral directors and RTÉ have launched a virtual memorial wall so that friends and family can pay tribute to loved ones who have died during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RTÉ will also hold memorial segments on television and radio to supplement the online memorial. 

The virtual memorial wall went live on Wednesday, April 15. 

Families can take pictures and captions of loved ones to their funeral director who will then pass them on to RTÉ. 

The memorial wall is open to everyone who has lost a loved one during the COVID-19 pandemic and not just those who died from the Coronavirus. 

RTÉ Radio One will host the radio memorial segment and head of Radio One, Tom McGuire, said that the idea came from the significance of funerals in Irish culture. 

Funerals are currently very limited affairs due to Government regulations and social distancing guidelines, meaning that loved ones are being buried in private or among very small groups of close friends and family. 

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Speaking to Today with Sean O'Rourke on Tuesday, McGuire said that the virtual memorial was a chance for friends and family to pay tribute to their lost loved ones. 

He said that family and friends will be able to submit a picture of their deceased loved one along with a caption and a name and address. Wellwishers will then be able to access the tribute online. 

McGuire said that the virtual memorial could act as a substitute for funerals at a time when large ceremonies weren't possible.  

"We will be able to click on the name of the deceased loved one open up their picture and caption, a little virtual shrine where you can light a candle in memory of the loved one. It will give society a chance to remember at a time when as a community we haven't been able to come together," he said on the Today with Sean O'Rourke Show.  

McGuire said that RTÉ radio and television presenters would also recite the names of some of the people who died from COVID-19 during the day. 

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