Finnegan’s expansive funeral home is situated on it’s own landscaped elevated grounds adjacent to the Dublin Road, on the outskirts of Cavan Town.
The magnificent interior provides a beautiful tranquil setting with comfort a priority. There are tea and coffee making facilities and toilets at the disposal of the family and friends. Funeral Director Declan Finnegan offers personal supervision and guidance throughout all funeral procedures.
Planning a Funeral
Most of us are not prepared to plan and carry out a funeral ceremony for someone we love. And so much of the information available on this critically important subject fails to focus on what is most important: having a personalised, meaningful funeral that helps families and friends begin the healing process of mourning after the death of someone we love.
This section includes information that will help provide insights necessary to help you and your family create a meaningful funeral experience that both honours the life of your loved one and starts you on the path to healing from your loss.
Where to Start
When you first begin the process of designing a funeral, the decisions you’ll face might seem overwhelming at first. We’re here to help you tackle the choices one by one and make the journey one of love, healing, and life celebration. The process can be broken down into two stages: decisions regarding the service and how you’d like to honor your loved one’s life, and decisions regarding how you’d like to care for your loved one’s physical remains.
Designing a Service
Whether it’s formal or informal, traditional or offbeat, a funeral provides an opportunity for family and friends to gather and support one another in taking the first steps of their healing journey. A service can take place in any setting – at your home, church, or at our facilities, for example – and can incorporate music, poetry, or art in the celebration of a life well-lived. There are endless possibilities for what the service can be, and we’re honored to go above and beyond in our duty to meet your personalized and specific requests.
Our staff is experienced in understanding and graciously accommodating the needs of all beliefs, faiths, lifestyles, and relationships. We’re here to answer your questions and guide you through the decisions you’ll need to make, and will encourage you to take your time to figure out the most meaningful and fitting way to honor your loved one and incorporate the elements that you and your family find meaningful.
Caring for a Loved One’s Physical Remains
Once you’ve chosen how you’d like to celebrate your loved one’s life journey, the next decision you’ll face is about how you’d like to care for their physical remains. This can be a difficult or emotional choice for you and your family, and we’ll provide you with the information you need as we help you to consider your options and make the decision that is right for your loved one and for your family. Once you’ve chosen between burial and cremation, there are a few additional decisions you’ll face:
- For a burial, you’ll need to select a coffin and a cemetery.
- For cremation, you’ll need to select an urn and choose whether to bury, entomb, or scatter the cremated remains, as well as where you’d like to do so.
No matter which path you decide to take, we’ll be there to support you and assist you in exploring your options and making an informed decision that feels right for you and your loved one.
What to do when a death occurs
There are few things in life more traumatic than the death of a family member. This section will explain what to do when a death occurs.
General Guidelines
Regardless of when and where a death occurs, the family should call us as soon a possible. At that time we will ask some specific questions, such as the name and location of the family member who passed away, the name of the attending physician and the name of the next of kin. We will also ask about the type of funeral service the family is considering so that we may begin any necessary procedures as expediently as possible. If you are undecided on the type of service, you need not make any immediate decisions. We will allow you adequate time to make them and provide you with prices of various options ahead of time to assist you. Finally, we will set up a convenient appointment time to make the actual arrangements.
Death in A Health Care Facility
When a death occurs in a hospital or nursing home, there is little the family needs to do other than to call us. The medical staff at the health care facility will take the necessary steps to ensure that all legal requirements are met. Although some health care facilities will call the funeral home on behalf of the family, this is the exception rather than the rule. To be safe, it is best that the family calls us directly.
Anticipated Death Outside A Health Care Facility
Many people with terminal illnesses are now choosing to die at home in more familiar and peaceful surroundings with family and friends close by. If an anticipated death occurs outside a health care facility, the first step would be to call the docor or doc on call service, to have death certified. The hospice nurse or physician would then release the deceased to the funeral home.
Unanticipated Death Outside A Health Care Facility
If a sudden death occurs outside of a health care facility, the best advise is to call doctor and Gardai to the scene. The Gardai will then determine the appropriate steps to take depending upon the particular situation. In the case of a non suspicious death of an apparently healthy individual, the Gardai would call the coroner’s office and await instructions. The coroner, depending upon the circumstances, may require that an autopsy be performed. If the death was suspicious in nature, then the coroner would in all likelihood order an autopsy.
Out-Of-State Death
If the death takes place outside of Ireland, there is no need to contact a local funeral director in that state where the death occurs. Doing so invariably results in additional expenses for the family. We can make all the necessary arrangements through agents we work with throughout the country. All you need to do is to call us, and we will handle the rest of the details. We also offer Worldwide repatriation service that will guarantee the price of your final arrangements no matter where the death occurs.
Advance Arrangements
If the death of a family member is anticipated, it is wise to begin thinking about the final arrangements in advance. We frequently meet with the family prior to the death to begin the process of gathering the needed information and discussing the services. In this way, the family is not overwhelmed with making numerous important decisions at the time of death. To the begin the arrangement process, just give us a call.
The Irish funeral has changed more in the past few years than in the prior fifty years. It used to be that the “Traditional Funeral” was pretty much the same. A wake or visitation period, which lasted anywhere from one to three days, followed by a church service and burial in the cemetery. Yet today, there is no such thing as a “Traditional Funeral”. People are choosing funeral services that are more reflective of the person and fit the lifestyle of the family. And with more and more ethnic groups living in our area, traditional funerals now incorporate many of the customs and ceremonies of different cultures. In any given year, our Funeral Home conducts funeral services for Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Orthodox, Jewish, Buddist and Hindu families, not to mention families that opt for non-religious, humanistic services. Given the diverse group of families that we serve and the different options that we provide, there are many choices available when it comes to a funeral.
To give our client families and friends some guidance in selecting a funeral service that is meaningful, we have put together answers to questions about different types of funeral options.
Can You Still Have a Traditional Funeral With Cremation?
Just because someone is interested in cremation does not mean that the family cannot have a viewing and funeral service. All of the customs and ceremonies associated with a traditional funeral can still be performed prior to the cremation taking place. For these occasions, we offer economical cremation caskets and rental caskets.
Where Can a Funeral Be Held?
Traditionally, funerals are held in a church, which is still a common practice today. However, there are several other options. Funeral services may be held at the funeral home in our Chapel or can even be held at the gravesite or cemetery chapel.
How Can A Funeral Be Personalized?
It is becoming more common to tailor a funeral service to the personality of the deceased. Prayers and remembrances offered by family and friends, favorite music, treasured belongings, pictures and momentos can all play a major role in making the final tribute fitting and moving. The family can choose to assemble a display containing family photographs, favorite possessions, items from a hobby or awards the deceased received. These items help shift the emphasis of the services to the memories of the person’s life, rather than on the circumstances of his or her death. Personalization can also be added by simply choosing the most appropriate services and products available from the funeral home. These include cremation and its various service options.