O’Connor Bros. was established in 1887 in Blarney Street, Cork by Thomas F. O’Connor.
The company moved their offices to 70 Shandon Street after it was passed to John Francis and Thomas Finbarr O’Connor, (sons of the founder) and then subsequently to North Gate Bridge (where we are still located), under the ownership of the late T.Val O’Connor, (grandson of the founder). J. Finbarr O'Connor (great-grandson of the founder) took over the running of the business along with his sister Laura Humphries and their mother Annette O'Connor.
J.Finbarr O’Connor, Managing Director & CEO, (Val’s son) and Laura Humphries (nee O’Connor) (Val’s Daughter) are the fourth generation of the family to work in the company.
O’Connor Bros. opened the FIRST Funeral Home in Ireland in 1967.
Prior to this, removals were carried out from hospital morgues or from family homes. Hospital morgues were cold, unwelcoming places that were never designed to accomodate large gatherings. Similarly, removals from family homes put undue pressure on the bereaved family, who were regularly inundated with well-wishers, whilst trying to get on with the everyday tasks such as eating,washing and sleeping. A lot of houses didn’t have the physical space to accomodate such gatherings. The Funeral Home provides a “Sitting Room” atmosphere, away from the family house, where people can gather in the presence of their loved one.
This year (2019) we mark 132 Years serving the people of Cork and the 52nd anniversary of our Funeral Home.
Terence O’Connor of Shandon Street joined us at North Gate Bridge in 2004 when he found it difficult to operate from his former premises, in the middle of Shandon Street, due to parking restrictions.
Other funeral businesses such as Frederick Bogan of Merchants Quay, R.Cronin & Sons of Sullivans Quay and Desmonds of Conway’s Yard have merged with O’Connor Bros. Funeral Homes Ltd. over the years.
O’Connor Bros Funeral Homes is the innovator in the funeral industry and we are proud of the fact that we have given a continuous personal service since the company’s inception over 132 years ago. (That’s over a million hours of unbroken service to bereaved families.)
The Company has carried out the funeral arrangements of many famous Corkonians such as Terence McSwiney, Tomás McCurtin, former Taoiseach Jack Jynch, Hugh Coveney, Gerald Goldberg and Bishops †Daniel Coughlan, †Cornelius Lucey and †Michael Murphy.
We are founder members of the Irish Association of Funeral Directors (I.A.F.D.) and are Members of the British Institute of Embalmers (B.I.E.) and the Professional Embalmers Association of Ireland (P.E.A.I.)
