Funeral director David features in one-off documentary

THE Funeral Director is a uniquely insightful and sensitive portrayal of the work of the person responsible for the last ritual any of us will undergo – preparation for burial or cremation.

Told from the perspective of pioneering funeral director David McGowan, the documentary unflinchingly draws back the veil on an industry that is rarely spoken about.

David hit the national headlines a few years ago when he transported an airplane by sea-barge to Enniscrone.

With unprecedented access to the procedures, science and etiquette of the funeral director, the one-off documentary follows David as he shares his personal perspective on the sombre business he describes as his ‘passion’ – a dedication he was thrown into when his father bought a country pub and shop in the 1970s and later discovered it included an undertakers business.

When he joined the family business, determined to offer the best possible service to his clients, David travelled to America, learning his trade at Chicago’s Cook County Morgue - one of the world’s busiest mortuaries. In The Funeral Director, he recalls the daily workload of murder victims, unclaimed corpses and overdosed high school kids – a world far removed from the west of Ireland funeral parlours and wakes of his formative years.

Since returning to Ireland in the 1980s, he continues to apply all the lessons he learned to a culture renowned for ‘grieving better than anyone else in the world’.

Balancing family life with the 24/7 demands of his job, David finds time for other interests. His fascinating and well documented side project transforming giant vehicles into luxury ‘glamping’ accommodation, including the retired 767 which he landed in Enniscrone, has a connection to his day job.

David’s friend and client Dougie Hopkins is a former pilot and biker in the final stages of terminal cancer. The programme joins the two friends as David makes preparations for Dougie to have his cremated remains buried in the roots of a live oak tree planted at the rear of the plane.

The Funeral Director is produced by GMarsh TV Productions for BAI Sound and Vision and RTÉ and will be screened on Wednesday, December 11, at 9.35 p.m. on RTÉ One.