Popular Derry barman memorial fundraiser

Popular Derry man, Garvan ‘Hen’ Henderson, passed away suddenly in September during a holiday to Portugal with his friends.

He had been there to celebrate his 50th birthday but sadly died the day before reaching that milestone. 

Garvan’s lifelong friend, Tony O’Connor, owner of the Bentley Bar in the city, has co-organised a fundraiser in memory of Garvan, with all money raised going to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust (KBRT) and the North West Cancer Centre at Altnagelvin. 

The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust is a charity which aims to alleviate the financial hardship of bereaved families repatriating the remains of their loved ones who have died abroad in sudden or tragic circumstances, back to Ireland.

The event is taking place on Saturday, February 18, in Link 48 (formerly Pitchers), on Alder Road in Derry. Tickets can be purchased at the Bentley Bar, Link 48 or through Skiddle.

Explaining why those two particular charities had been chosen, Tony said: “Hen (Garvan) had only passed away a couple of hours when someone from the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust rang me to see if we needed any help getting his body back to Derry and saying they could help. 

“However, Hen had travel insurance, which covered his repatriation, so while we didn’t need them, situations like this happen quite regularly, so we decided to do a fundraiser in memory of Hen, to raise funds for the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust and the North West Cancer Unit, because Hen’s daddy, Noel, died with cancer and had received treatment there. The fundraiser actually falls on Noel’s anniversary,” said Tony.

On the night of the Hen Fundraiser live music by a band called D and G who play Oasis and Indie music, which Hen loved. 
“We are also going to have a couple of old skool dance DJs playing as well,” said Tony, “because Hen loved that type of music too. The night is going to be compèred by Joe Kelly.” 

Tony and Garvan grew up together in the Pennyburn area of Derry.

Tony recalled: “Hen was a postman and then he was a driver for a  delivery company. He went to New York in 2000 as a chippy’s mate, and I went out every single summer for seven years to visit him. 

“His daddy, Noel, died in February 2004 and he just wasn’t the same after that. It hit him hard and he came back to Derry to live in 2007. We were opening the Bentley at the time, so we gave him a job. 

“He was there all during the Bentley renovations. He never missed one day of work. I called him ‘Mr Bentley’. He was a massive friend. He was like family. 

“He turned 50 on September 7 and I arranged it from earlier that year for all the close mates to go out to Portugal to celebrate. I knew Hen would not do it himself. We had been out in Portugal for his 40th birthday, which had also been our friend’s stag do. 

“Nine of us went out on the Thursday and we had the best day’s craic ever, a lads’ holiday,” said Tony, who is planning to rename the Linen Bar where Garvan worked in his honour.

“Hen was a really, really great character,” said Tony. 

“Garvan had a heart of gold and would have given you his last penny.” 

Those were the poignant words of Garvan’s sister, Karen Henderson, speaking to Derry News ahead of 

Clearly emotional, Karen thanked Garvan’s friends for being “a tower of strength and support” to her mother, Ann, brother, John, and herself since Garvan’s death.

Karen added: “Garvan wanted for nothing. He had everything because he had a family that loved him and he had friends that were his second family. His friends have done him proud since his untimely death. 

“Garvan was a hard worker. He put his life and soul into the Bentley Bar and his Bentley family, young and old, loved him. He worked in the Linen Bar and all of the men that would go in there on a Friday night loved the craic with him. 

“Garvan and I were close, especially during the pandemic. I was making sure he was okay because he was so used to working and he didn’t know what to do with himself but he got there in the end. He loved life and he loved his family and friends.

“A few years ago, Garvan moved to New York to work. However, he came back to Derry after our father, Noel, died. That was a big blow to him. Our father and our grandmother, Kathleen, sadly died within six months of each other. They were key people in Garvan’s life. That was a turning point for him. He came home and worked in the Bentley. Tony O’Connor was so good to him. He just gave Garvan a job as soon as he came back from New York and Garvan worked there until his death,” said Karen.
Karen said Tony and the Bentley staff were always thinking about what good they could do for people.

She added: “The fundraiser is an example of their kindness. It is also to show appreciation for the work of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. 

“We didn’t have to rely on them to get Garvan home because he had holiday insurance, thank God but at the same time we know they would have got him home. It is really a case of not wanting to see any other family going through what we went through. It was bad enough knowing we were going to get Garvan home but the stress and the process of getting him home was horrific. 

“The fundraiser is also for the North West Cancer Centre, which would have been very close to Garvan’s heart because my father died of cancer.

“The event will be attended by a lot of family members and, I would say, dozens and dozens of friends, who will come out again for another excuse to toast Garvan. It is lovely to see and completely overwhelming. As a family we can’t thank Tony enough, as well as his family, his mother and father, Geraldine and Micky, his wife Sheila, even down to his children. He has put a lot of time and effort into the fundraiser, probably to the detriment of his own family,” said Karen.

“I don’t even have the words to say thanks to the Bentley Bar,” said Karen, “because every time you go up, there are photographs of Garvan or there’s another story or there’s a video on Facebook. It is non stop. 

“It is overwhelming and it is lovely and it brings tears to your eyes but they are tears of comfort. 

“Garvan is sorely missed. The trauma of what happened in Portugal is unreal, especially for his friends out celebrating his Birthday and having to go through the experience of finding Garvan dead and then having to phone me. They are also suffering the loss of their friend.”

Tickets for the Garvan ‘Hen’ Henderson fundraiser can be purchased at the Bentley Bar or Link 48 or through Skiddle.