A life of service, vision and humour

Celebrating the life of Dr Eamonn McDwyer 1945-2025

Celebrating the life of Dr Eamonn McDwyer 1945-2025

Dr Eamonn McDwyer was born in 1945 and often joked that the world simply wasn’t big enough for both Hitler and himself so Hitler had to go, and Eamonn came along instead.

It was the kind of wry humour that would stay with him all his life. Eamonn was born the sixth child of his parents Peter and Josephine (Ena) McDwyer.

He grew up in Belturbet, attended the national school there and then St Patrick’s College, Cavan.

After his Leaving Certificate in 1964, he worked in England to fund his studies, before beginning Medicine at University College Galway.

University life suited his restless energy.

He threw himself into the Literary and Debating Society, serving as secretary and crossing swords with contemporaries such as Michael D. Higgins, current President of Ireland.

He rowed for the university, earning his Blue on the Wylie and at the Head of the River on the Liffey, and he was an active member of the Medical Society, in which he relished arguments on medicine and politics in equal measure.

Vocation

In 1966 he married Mairlis Smith of Cavan. Both went on to qualify as doctors, and together they opened a thriving General Practice on Farnham Street, Cavan, in 1972. That same year, tragedy struck Eamonn’s hometown when a loyalist car bomb exploded in Belturbet. Eamonn and Mairlis worked by torchlight through the night to care for the injured - an act of compassion that reflected their shared vocation and courage.

They raised six children; their eldest, Karen, sadly predeceased him, as did her mother Mairlis. In later years Eamonn made his home at Cullies where he found happiness once again with his loving wife Anna.

Tireless as a doctor, he was often on call day and night, seven days a week, and he carried the same energy into public service.

He was elected to Cavan Urban District Council where he served for almost three decades as a Fianna Fáil councillor and also served as chairman for multiple terms.

Among his proudest achievements were the removal of pylons from the town, the redesign of the Dublin Road entrance, and the transformation of the Market Square. Ever the visionary, he encouraged others to see Cavan not just as a town, but as a place of big ideas and big possibilities a great place to live, work, visit and raise a family.

During his time as chairman, he proudly represented Cavan at the St Patrick’s Day parade in New York in 2000, an occasion he and his wife, Anna relished and remembered with great pride.

In local authority circles he was always memorable: Stylishly dressed and brimming with opinions. Beyond politics, he played a leading role in community life, serving as director of Lakeland Tourism, chairman of Cavan Credit Union and president of Cavan Chamber of Commerce, helping to revitalise the town centre and it was at his suggestion that the Peace Fountain was erected on the Market Square.

Warmth

As a diagnostician there was none better and many of his patients benefited by being referred for specialist treatment at an early stage.

He had a warm personal relationship with the late renowned Cardiac Surgeon, Maurice Neligan, Mater Hospital, Dublin and raised significant funds to support the development of the hospital’s pioneering Cardiac Unit. His patients knew him not only for his skill but also for his humour, warmth and unflagging dedication. Even when illness struck in 2010, restricting his mobility, Eamonn continued to live with a smile and a keen interest in everything around him. He never fully stepped away from his work or his interests in owning race horses, reading, cooking, and later creative writing.

Above all, Eamonn was a family man.

He delighted in his children; Paula, Eamon, Verna, Rachel, Leah, his step-daughter Lisa and his eleven grandchildren, who brought him endless joy.

His sharp wit and love of people and conversation made every gathering lively and memorable.

Eamonn is survived by his loving wife Anna, his children, grandchildren, step-daughter, his brothers and sisters, all of whom cared for him dearly and loved him to the end.

Dr Eamonn McDwyer lived a life of service, vision and humour. He leaves behind a legacy of kindness and dedication to his patients, to his town, and most of all, to his family.