About Us
Four Generations
1869-1943
1912-2002
1948-2020
2020 to present day
Our History
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Established 1902 by Felix Lavery
Lavery’s Funeral Directors was established by Felix Lavery who purchased the property in 1902 via Public Auction where it remains to this day and is affectionately known as Lavery’s Corner. In days gone by a shop, a petrol station, a pub, a farm, the family home and the funeral business all operated from the site. Currently the family home, the pub and the funeral home remain.
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Run by Felix’s son Liam in the 1940s
Taking over from Felix, his son Liam ran the business from the 1940s until the 1990s.
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Run by Liam's son Donal in the 1990's
Taking over from Liam, his son Donal later carried out a major renovation to the property and continued to modernise the funeral business’s services whilst at the same time maintaining and exceeding the highest standards in funeral directing in his own quiet and dignified way.
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Conan takes over from his father in 2020
Donal’s son Conan then took over the business after Donal passed away in July 2020 and he continues to run and consistently reinvest in the business as learned from his late father.
Past and Present
Felix Lavery - 1869 to 1943
“The Boss of the Corner” and founder of the business.
The below abstract has been taken from the book “The Moortown Story” by Pat Grimes;
‘It is perhaps appropriate to say something here about the character of Felix Lavery (1869-1943), who was a leading figure in the parish in the first half of the twentieth century. He could be described as the typical rural businessman of the period – farmer, publican, shop owner, merchant, undertaker, landlord, district councillor. But he was totally unlike many other men in his position because of his deep-rooted kindness and generosity to the poor of the district.
A ringing approbation of “Oul Lavery” and of his first wife Margaret (1884-1916) re-echoes down through the years in the Moortown district. Patrick Tobin wrote of Margaret (incidentally his posthumous sister-in-law), who died aged just thirty-two years- “… as I proceed along the path worn into the gravel by the congregation, I am reminded of some who lie at peace here. There is a priest buried here. In the adjoining grave lies Maggie, by universal accord regarded as one of the best women to have lived in this part of the country. Grand record that, surely!” of Felix Lavery he wrote – “There’s that snap in him, you know, but he’s good.”
The ‘snap’ was Lavery’s somewhat belligerent persona: he was described as being loud, opinionated, cantankerous, and blustering, but this merely cloaked an inner kindness which often left him out of pocket as he came to the rescue of distressed neighbours who found themselves in the most difficult and seemingly intractable circumstances.
To his lasting esteem, Felix Lavery never regarded his aid and succour as debts to be settled at a future date.”
Liam Lavery - 1912 to 2002
Liam (William John) took over the business after Felix passing in 1943 and he continued to run the businesses on the property for another half century. In his earlier years Liam was a keen footballer with Moortown St Malachys and spent many years serving various roles in the Club Committee and like his father before him – he also served as a local councillor. Liam was a larger than life presence at “The Corner” and was a keen historian.
In 1972 the pub was rebuilt separately from the house and this resulted in the closing of the shop and petrol station and in later years most of the farming interest was gradually phased out. Liam continued to carry out alterations to the property as the years went by and established a number of excellent working relationships with suppliers which remain to this day.
Donal Lavery - 1948 to 2020
In the 1990s Donal took over the running of the Laverys Funeral Directors. Donal was a visionary for the business and never missed an opportunity to improve something, be this the exterior at The Corner, adding a new service or simply doing something more efficiently or better.
Despite his quiet and unassuming nature, Donal was well respected within the local community and during his lifetime he attended to well over one thousand funerals throughout the local area and beyond. He considered every funeral an honour. Donal’s tenure also saw him tend to funerals of those lost during the Troubles.
Donal was a friend to everyone he met and a confidant to many. Even yet his loss is still felt deeply throughout the Loughshore community.
Donal has left a tremendous legacy to his family and his memory will certainly live on.
Below is a poem from Donal’s friend Patsy O’Hagan after his death in July 2020.
You’d comfort and console us, by the little things you’d say,
You were our rock to lean on, when our loved ones passed away.
Humility and integrity, and blessed with wisdom too,
Precious gifts yearned by many, yet bestowed upon a few.
Now your earthly story has been told, God had the final say,
And no one heard him whisper, “Donal, come my way”.
I have a special place for you, dear friends again you’ll meet,
No need to take your blower, all’s tidy on our street.
And yes, around the Corner, things will never be the same,
Fond memories will be rekindled, as with pride we speak your name.
Conan Lavery - 2020 to present day
Following Donal’s passing, his son Conan now oversees the management of Lavery’s Funeral Directors. Committed to maintaining the high standards set by his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Conan runs the funeral business with a combination of dedication, empathy and a quiet determination to provide a first class and personal service.
Conan continues to steer the business so that it carries on providing a modern service while at the same time upholding the traditional values which have been so important to the business’s success since 1902.
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