Man pre-records a message to play at his funeral. The mourners were howling with laughter.

Obviously, funerals are often solemn affairs. But Shay Bradley, a grandfather from Dublin, Ireland, decided over a year before his death that he wanted to do something to take the edge off an otherwise heartbreaking day for his family and friends.

Shay did what any prankster would do, and recorded a message for those attending his funeral. As the music of bagpipes fades into the distance, a voice can be heard saying: “Hello?” followed by a loud banging, seemingly coming out of the casket.

As the bagpipes keep playing, the voice continues: “Let me out, it’s dark in here. Let me out. Is that the priest I can hear?"

People appear confused to start, but laughter quickly takes over the crowd.  

Andrea Bradley, Shay's daughter, shared a video of the crowd's reaction on Facebook, writing: "My dad's dying wish, always the pranksters, ya got them good Poppabear. And gave us all a laugh just when we needed it!!" 

Shay’s wife, Anne Bradley, told Bored Panda that the actual recording was done in one take, over a year before the funeral. “My son told me about the recording the day before his funeral,” Anne revealed. The closest family members knew what was going to happen, but most people were caught out by the prank. 

“Shay was a prankster, always thought outside the box and wanted to leave his family laughing,” Anne went on to explain. “He was a larger than life character and sadly missed by anyone who knew him,” she concluded. 

The clip also made it onto Reddit, where it received thousands of comments, with people loving the idea behind the prank.

"I wish I was so full of life people laugh at my funeral," one user wrote. "What a beautiful idea to keep people happy."

Another shared how humor had helped their family cope with grief, writing: 

"My dad died at home a few days before Christmas last year. We were waiting for the coroners to come pick him up and when they rang the doorbell it started playing a very cheery version of Jingle Bells. My family cracked up it was just so odd. The coroners must have thought we were crazy when we opened the door giggling."

One user concluded: "Laughter does help a lot when dealing with grief. Good on this passed-on soul."

While another added: "Kind people do genuinely worry about not being able to comfort their loved ones after they pass. My grandmother wrote me a letter about it, lamenting that she was not there to comfort me while I mourned. I do admire this act and although he is no longer with us, he has my respect none the less."

This article was originally published on October 14, 2019. It has since been updated.