Declan Higgins reflects on the careers of Kevin and Kathy Kyne

The curtain comes down on a great double act

Declan Higgins reflects on the retirement of Galway funeral directors Kevin and Kathy Kyne

The writer Stefan Emunds once said: ‘Time is an illusion, timing is an art’. And with that, a fi fty year partnership of faithful service sadly came to an end when Kevin and Kathy Kyne informed their community in Moycullen, Co. Galway that they were retiring from the funeral business. That weekend, a page turned over on a large chapter of the history of the village of Moycullen.

I fi rst came to know Kevin and Kathy in 2012 when I started with Conneely Funeral Directors in Galway. I was fortunate in that my seemingly unending apprenticeship (arguably still incomplete) meant that I got the opportunity to observe many funeral directors in their work. While I was virtually unknown within the business, Kevin and Kathy were renowned throughout the county, having run a supermarket in Moycullen for many years and having been solid pillars of their community throughout that time. Kevin also drove a bus that transported people with special needs to and from their homes and care centres; it was not just the bereaved that entrusted their loved ones into Kevin’s care.

Kevin and Kathy’s time as funeral directors spanned the transition from providers of vehicles and coffi ns and burial habits to a profession that now embodies the very essence of

Kevin and Kathy Kyne pictured in the garden of their home in Moycullen in April after the announcement of their retirement (picture courtesy of Seán Lydon)

pastoral care. Of the people in their care, they would always have a little anecdote of how they played a part in the theatre that is life in small villages in Ireland; Moycullen is no different. They were, more often than not, looking after their friends and always managed to achieve that delicate balance between genuine empathy and utmost professionalism.

Anything less than optimal perfection would not pass beneath their attentive eyes. The smallest details were prioritised alongside the larger ones such as the church, the cemetery or crematorium, the coffi n and the funeral notice. In my early days in Flood Street, I remember one marginally creased shirt being hoisted from my hands by Kathy and taken to be ironed. When she carefully handed it back to me, I realised I had been given an incisive lesson: there is a marked difference between what will suffice and what is perfect.

The folding of the sheets of the coffi n was a meticulous and delicate process, bordering on ceremonial in its reverence. Everyone entrusted into their care was treated with the utmost dignity, the same level of dignity that would be afforded to a member of their own family; there is no higher standard than that.

The Kynes were often asked to look after the funeral FuneralTimes | 5 FuneralTimes | 1

arrangements of people outside of Moycullen, which bears strong testament, if any were needed, to their reputation as funeral directors with the marque of distinction. They understand grief in a way that grief psychologists and sociologists never will, an understanding gleaned from years of standing discreetly by the side of bereft parents, sorrowing children and communities laboured with the pain of loss. Though they will no doubt see it differently, those they served by caring for their departed loved ones will be forever in their debt.

In many ways, their story is the story of Moycullen, occupying a place, as they did, for many years, in the heart of the village. They bore witness to the transformation of the village, the funeral business and life in Galway, all the while providing a constant of care and compassion.

The role of a funeral director has changed immeasurably over the past two decades, from the provision of a coffi n or casket and hearse to that of a highly detail orientated events coordinator and confi dant. My friend’s father passed away some years ago while I was working in the U.S. When I got back we talked for some time about what had happened and the funeral. He described the Kynes not as ‘having done the funeral’, as would be the common parlance around these parts, rather he said, they ‘looked after us’. My friend’s comment remained with me for a long time.

Recently I was asked to arrange the funeral of a family member of my own. The death was sudden and unexpected. 6 | FuneralTimes 2 | FuneralTimes “The role of a funeral director has changed immeasurably over the past two decades, from the provision of a coffin or casket and hearse to that of a highly detail orientated events coordinator and confidant”.

We required some practical assistance, and without hesitation I called Kevin. Nothing was too much trouble, and he assisted and offered to assist in any way he could. I think I capture the views of funeral directors throughout Galway when I say, both he and Kathy were not just exceptional funeral directors in their own right, they were steadfast and valued colleagues too.

I am grateful now, as I know many others are, to have had the benefi t of their advice, experience and wisdom. Their stories and anecdotes charted the change in the profession from the days of laying out in the home to modern embalming and RIP.ie. Kevin and Kathy are blessed with impeccable memory, able to recall with ease events from yesterday, yesteryear and decades ago and the fi ne details of the many funerals they looked after over the years.

The Galway Bay FM broadcaster Keith Finnegan regaled the people of Galway on his radio show with the story of his own father, George’s funeral in 2011. His father had planned his funeral meticulously, leaving several gratuity envelopes aside. One of the envelopes was for the funeral directors, in this case the Kynes. Some time after the funeral, Kevin went up to the Finnegan’s house to return the envelope: there was too much in it and it was to be offset against the account. This was but one of the many examples of integrity transcending all that they did in their years of service.

They move now to the next chapter of their lives. They are regulars on the dancing circuit, and they can now swing around the ballrooms without the possibility of a ‘fi rst call’ coming in. I know they both will continue to be much sought after advisers and confi dants to their community and to the funeral directors in Galway. The people of Moycullen and all those touched by and enfolded in their compassion and care in all the ways it was shown over the years are sad to see this day come.

But, in the words we have heard many times before: to everything there is a season. And for Kevin and Kathy, it is their time to enjoy what I know will be a fruitful retirement after fi ve decades of faithful and unwavering service.

To them, our gratitude, and that of the many families they have served, will be enduring.