Ireland and Latin America share a close (and under-examined) relationship, inasmuch as both are predominantly Catholic, post-colonial, hybrid populations that have often intermixed over the centuries. In particular, both populations engage intimately with the dead as repositories of forgotten history, recorders of silenced grievances, and allies in counter-imperial struggle. This study examines, by means of their 20th century literatures, how these two regions have utilized the dead to bolster their various nationalistic projects.