IAFD News A Letter from the IAFD President Dear Reader It was a great honour for me to be appointed as the President of the IAFD at our AGM on November 21st 2020. It was unfortunate that we could not meet our members in person or hold our annual Dinner Dance. Experiencing the association’s first virtual AGM by Zoom was interesting, and all things considered, it went extremely well on the day, mainly thanks to the hard work of Beverley Brown and Colm Kieran. I would like to thank and congratulate our past President, Mr Robert Fanagan for his hard work during, what was, an extremely difficult year for all of us. I would also like to thank my colleagues on the Board of the IAFD for all the hard work they do on our members’ behalf. I am a third-generation funeral director - I grew up near our family business in South Gate Bridge, Cork. As a child I was always around the funeral home helping my parents and it was no surprise to anyone that I would go on to work full-time in the family business. I have been attending IAFD meetings since the 1980’s and always enjoy catching up with other funeral directors. I have always felt that the IAFD plays a major role in the funeral profession in Ireland. Finally, for the coming year as President I will represent the IAFD to the best of my ability, and with that, I would just like to wish you all well and hope that you and your families stay safe. Kind regards Donal Forde IAFD President
14 | FuneralTimes
