David McGowan: Have Ye Trouble?

Tuesday, October 7th 2025

7.30pm

Location: Festival Dome, Bridge Lane, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, F23 PN20

Author of The Irish Times’ bestseller, A Life Amount The Dead, David McGowan, Ireland's best-known funeral director, and subject of the award-winning Netflix documentary ‘The Funeral Director’, guides us through the business, the science and the unexplained elements of death.

David is also an embalmer and entrepreneur and hails from Easkey, Co. Sligo. He attracted worldwide attention when he moved a Boeing 767 from Shannon Airport to his site in Enniscrone, where he plans to open a transport themed glamping village called 'Quirky Nights'.

Alongside exploring the unique approach of Irish culture when it comes to grief and death, David seeks to demystify the process of dying and what happens to the body afterward. The only certainty when we come into this life is that we are going to leave it, and yet it's something most people are reluctant to discuss or allow themselves to think about. David's mission is to open up conversations and encourage people to have an understanding of their loved ones’ wishes as well as their own. Poignant, humorous and educational, this is an account of a life lived with purpose in the service of the dead.

About the author

David McGowan is a master funeral director, embalmer and entrepreneur based in the West of Ireland. He has a lifetime of experience in the death care profession. David has been an education provider to the funeral industry since 1995 when he established the Irish College of Funeral Directing and Embalming. He has trained funeral directors and embalmers from Ireland and abroad. He regularly appears on television and radio in Ireland, and in 2019 he was the subject of the RTS award-winning documentary, The Funeral Director, currently screening on Netflix.

Booking info: All events at this year’s festival are on a first come, first served basis. We recommend wrapping up warmly and arriving early to secure a seat. All events in the festival dome are free of charge.