Ederney mourns the passing of beloved community figure and veterinary surgeon

THE parish of Ederney and the wider Fermanagh community are in deep mourning following the peaceful passing of Cormac McKervey, who died at his home on Erne Drive on Sunday, January 12, aged 92. News of his death has prompted an outpouring of sadness and gratitude for a man whose life was defined by service, compassion, and quiet faith.

Cormac McKervey was far more than a highly respected veterinary surgeon; he was a cornerstone of rural life in North Fermanagh for generations. A devoted husband, loving father, proud grandfather, humanitarian, and man of deep faith, his legacy is etched into the farms, families, and communities he served for more than half a century.

Born and raised in Ederney, Cormac showed an early calling to veterinary medicine. After qualifying from University College Dublin in 1959, he returned home to establish his own practice, despite being warned that familiarity might work against him. Instead, it became his greatest strength. Through tireless dedication and unwavering reliability, he earned the trust of farmers across a vast rural area stretching from Ballinamallard to Belleek and Castlederg to Pettigo.

Immaculately turned out in his trademark white shirt and tie, and often seen navigating winding country roads in his beloved VW Beetles, Cormac was a reassuring presence day and night. No call was ever refused. Whether attending a difficult calving at dawn or responding to an emergency in the dead of night, he brought calm expertise, kindness, and respect to every farmyard he entered.

Together with his beloved wife Immaculata (Mac), whom he married from the American House in Bundoran, Cormac built not just a practice but a family enterprise. Their home on Erne Drive became the hub of the business, with Mac managing calls and paperwork while their children grew up immersed in the rhythm of rural veterinary life. One of Cormac’s proudest moments came when his son David joined him in practice, working side by side in what would later become Three Valleys Veterinary Services.

A gifted storyteller, Cormac delighted friends and family with tales from the road: pioneering Caesarean sections in cattle, lambings carried out in his own back garden, and even the extraordinary occasion when the army was called upon to airlift a sick cow from an island. His stories were always delivered with gentle humour and humility, reflecting a man who never sought praise.

Retirement did little to slow his instinct to help others. Alongside Mac, Cormac devoted more than 30 years to humanitarian aid work in Bosnia, delivering supplies to communities in desperate need from 1986 until 2019. He also gave 20 years of dedicated service to the St Vincent de Paul Society in Enniskillen, embodying his lifelong commitment to charity and social justice. Their shared faith also led them on many spiritual journeys, particularly to Medjugorje, which brought them great comfort and renewal.

At the heart of everything Cormac did was his faith, his family, and his gratitude for his wife. He was always quick to credit Mac for his achievements, often saying: “I couldn’t have done half of what I did were it not for her. I owe everything to her.”

Cormac is survived by his devoted wife Mac; his children David (Rosarie), Deirdre (Des), Brian (Maeve), Cormac (Brenda), and Justine (Stephen); his cherished grandchildren Christopher, Claire, Conall, Tara-Rose, Pól, Cormac, Joseph, Michael, Matthew, Eoin, Catherine, Maria, and Ellie; and a wide circle of extended family, friends, neighbours, farmers, and colleagues. He was predeceased by his siblings Pat, Frank, Tony, Joan, Aileen, John, and Margaret.

As Ederney prepares to lay one of its most respected sons to rest, there is a shared sense that a chapter of local history has quietly closed. Yet the legacy of Cormac McKervey, his kindness, integrity, humour, and service, will live on in the countless lives he touched.

The funeral service will take place tomorrow (Thursday) at 11am in St Joseph’s Church, Ederney, followed by interment in Edenclaw Cemetery. The Funeral Mass may be viewed via https://g0.ipcamlive.com/player/

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A true servant of his community, he will be remembered not only for what he did, but for the gentle, steadfast way in which he did it.