Stepping in to lead a business that had been family run for six generations is inevitably a challenge. But, having managed the logistics around the visits of seven US presidents to Ireland, Europe and Saudi Arabia, Bryan Murphy was comfortable it was a challenge he could meet. 'The family ethos, the family values. It’s absolutely essential that we keep that family business feel,' he says.
'And they’re stronger probably than ever now, because the family is able to concentrate on the networking ambassadorial stuff – all of that which drives the business forward and makes Fanagans what it is today.' Fanagans is, by a distance, the largest funeral business in Ireland. It handles about 2,200 funerals a year compared, it says, with about 1,500 at its nearest rival