St Peter and Paul's Church in Dunboyne, Co Meath, was packed to capacity on Saturday afternoon as hundreds gathered to celebrate the life of Dr Pearse Lyons along with his family and friends.

The diversity of the gathering reflected the extent to which Pearse Lyons affected the lives of so many before passing away aged 73.

Pearse Lyons was above all a family man

Along with the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s Aide de Camp, Commandant Caroline Burke, there were politicians, ambassadors, business leaders, farmers and schoolchildren.

He was a man who was as comfortable in the presence of schoolchildren as royalty.

Alltech

While Dr Lyons was best known for founding Alltech in 1980 from his garage in Kentucky and growing it into a multi-billion-dollar animal nutrition business, the congregation heard of just how many lives the Dundalk man touched through both public and private acts of generosity – many of which his family only became aware of after his passing.

In between the hymns performed by opera singer Dr Ronan Tynan, there were numerous examples of how Dr Lyons' desire to help those less fortunate saw him use his success to better the lives of others – whether it was the children in the underprivileged schools he supported or the individuals he helped to overcome personal challenges.

But as well as a businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Pearse Lyons was above all a family man. In a eulogy to their father, daughter Aoife and son Mark gave an insight into a man who clearly not only supported but inspired his children.

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