Irish Americans Buy Dirt From The Mother Country

Two Irishmen are making mounds of money by shipping soil from "the mother country" to Irish Americans who want it put on their caskets. Pat Burke, 27, and Alan Jenkins, 65, are selling 0.75 lb. bags for $15 dollars each.

Burke and Jenkins have already shipped about 528,000 pounds of soil to New York, and they think that the number of people who want Irish dirt will surely keep rising.

The idea of the business arose after Jenkins attended an Irish association meeting in Florida, Burke says.

He explains, "He found that all that these second, third and fourth generation Irish wanted was a drop of the old sod - a true piece of old Ireland - to place on their caskets."

One New York businessman from the west of Ireland has put in an order for $100,000 worth of soil.

Burke and Jenkins say they will donate 80 percent of the profits to Irish and U.S. charities.