As an Irish bagpiper I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man who had no family or friends. The funeral was to be held at a new cemetery in the remote countryside, and this man would be the first person to be laid to rest there.

As I was not familiar with the area I became lost, but being a typical man I didn’t stop for directions. When I finally arrived an hour late I saw the digger and the new grave, but the hearse was nowhere in sight and the workmen were eating lunch.

I apologised to the workers for my lateness and stepped to the side of the open grave where I saw the vault lid already in place.

I assured the workers I would not hold them up for long, but this was the proper thing to do. Still eating their lunch the workers gathered around the grave. I played with all my heart and soul.

As I played, the workers began to weep. Encouraged by their piety & grief, I played and I played like I'd never played before. I played everything from "Going Home," "The Lord is My Shepherd," to "Flowers of the Forest." Finally, I packed in my pipes & closed the lengthy session with "Amazing Grace" ...

I walked slowly to my car.

As I was opening the door and taking off my coat, I overheard one of the workers saying to another, "Sweet Jesus, Mary & Joseph, I never seen nothin' like that before, and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years now."