About Us
McGowan’s Crematorium,
Co. Sligo
Enter the realm of death care professionals and experience a celebration of our loved ones lives in the most comfortable and stylish McGowan’s Crematorium and Funeral Home.
On opening their doors at McGowan’s Crematorium and Funeral Home, Collooney, Co. Sligo, David McGowan, Death Care Professional, CEO, Developer and recent Author says
“It has been a life long ambition of mine to remain dedicated to the deceased and bereaved people of my home in County Sligo.
A lot of thought and work has gone into this development of our crematorium which is the first crematorium to open in our whole region.”
David, his wife Aileen Donagher McGowan and daughter Bríd McGowan have poured their heart and soul into this space, with the help and guidance from interior designer Kate Walsh they have collectively created a truly unique and calming space where you and your family can say goodbye in a very special way and celebrate the life that you had together.
Natural features in our eloquent space reminds us of our surroundings and how they can help us heal when we connect. Commissioned pieces such as the beautiful swallow sculptures in our main service room by the talented artist and sculptor John Hogan bring the theme of nature to life in our light and unique space. Artist Jess Kelly also created a beautiful and calming work of art specifically for our space.
At McGowan’s Crematorium and funeral home we do not believe in a fixed religious outlook as we believe all beliefs are welcome to experience the beauty of our space.
David McGowan
CEO McGowan’s Funeral Home
David McGowan is from Easkey, Co. Sligo.
From an early age, David became interested in the funeral business, and began exploring it as a specialist full-time career choice. In the seventies, finding information in Ireland about this was an arduous task, but David became increasingly determined to learn more.
When David finished school, he decided to pursue a career in the funeral business. He saw a need to improve the way deceased persons were prepared for funerals. He also felt that more could be done to help the bereaved to cope with the trauma of a death. This quest has led him on a lifelong path of learning and sharing of knowledge with others, always keeping the best interest of the deceased and bereaved dear to his heart.
David continued his education, studied and qualified in Ireland, England and the United States of America, before extending the family business by opening a custom built funeral home in Ballina, Co. Mayo in 1990.
At that time, he was one of a very small number of funeral directors, outside of the main cities, who was working as a full time funeral director / embalmer. It was equally unusual at that time to find custom built funeral homes to serve the needs of the bereaved.
David is a member of many Irish and international organisations associated with the funeral service. He has given presentations at home and abroad on topics relating to funeral direction and embalming. He has represented Ireland on many occasions in his many roles including National Chairperson of the BIE 1994/1995, National representative to the EAE. David is held in high esteem among colleagues, and among the bereaved he has served both at home and abroad. He is the executive director of the Irish College of Funeral Directing and Embalming, which offers courses and training for funeral directors in embalming. His staff undergo continuous training in order to ensure a high quality 24 hour service.
He will always strive to put the deceased and the bereaved first, while providing a range of professional services. David’s kind and considerate nature enables him to support families and friends of the deceased with discretion and respect.
David and Bríd McGowan featured as guests on top RTE chat show ‘The Tommy Tiernan Show’.
Press the button to watch the episode on RTE player. (Episode 15)
The Funeral Director
In November 2019, a documentary called ‘The Funeral Director’ about David and his life was aired on RTÉ 1 and stole the hearts of the nation.
Since then, he has been called upon as the correspondent for television shows such as ‘Claire Byrne Live’ and all national radio stations, on the topic of death, embalming and funerals throughout the Covid 19 pandemic.
