Death of generous businessman ‘who never forgot his Omagh roots’

A BRILLIANT businessman who ‘never forgot where he came from’ has died following a long illness, causing heartbreak on both sides of the Atlantic, from Omagh to Ottawa.

Larry Bradley, a local man who made his money as an entrepreneur in Canada, passed away peacefully last week, aged 75, with his family by his side.

Raised in Gortmore, Omagh, Larry spent the 1960s competing in football, basketball and boxing, using what time he had left over to chase the showbands around Ireland with his friends.

However, not The Plattermen, Derek and the Sounds nor The Polka Dots could keep Larry from following his instinct to travel.

Having completed his training as a linesman (a person who erects, repairs and maintains telephone and power lines) with the Electricity Board for Northern Ireland, Larry packed his bags, said goodbye to his father Laurence, mother Beatrice, brother Raymond and sisters Moya and Paula, and flew the coup in the early 1970s.

His first stop was the star spangled USA, but destiny had decided that it was not the land of the free and home of the brave that would hold onto Larry, but its big brother above, Canada.

For four long winters and as many sticky summers, Larry worked in Kapuskasing, Ontario, putting the trade he had learned in Ireland to use for a company called Northern Telephone.

It was there that he met his beloved Michele, whom he followed to Ottawa, the place that the couple would rear their three children, Shauna, Michael and Kristen, and the city Larry would call home for the next 47 years.

entrepreneur life

After arriving in the Canadian capital, the Omagh man’s working life included a variety of odd jobs, from construction to bartending to bouncing.

However, unsatisfied with the thought of a life of remunerated subservience, eternally answering to the orders of others, Larry struck out alone in 1982, co-founding Bradley-Kelly Construction, the capital from which he used to finance his dream of opening an Irish pub.

In 1992, Larry cut the ribbon on the Heart and Crown in the Byward market, which, according to the Ottawa Citizen, is now an institution of the city.

After firmly establishing his empire, Larry’s attention began to turn towards the land he had left behind in the early 1970s. Regular visits became a routine that remained a part of his life until illness eventually made it impossible.

While back in his beloved Omagh, he would rejoice in the company of his family, see his many old friends, and revisit places that held memories of his younger years.

While at home, he often broke up family time by hanging out with his gang of muckers, Andy Hyndman, Liam Nugent, Mickey Taggart and the late Frank Colgan. Whether they were in Broderick’s Bar, the Sperrin Restaurant or some seaside hotel in memory-laden Bundoran, Larry loved having a pint, reminiscing about the old days, and catching up on the new ones.

As well as giving his time with people he cared about, Larry also expressed his love for his hometown through kind and frequent donations to local community groups. Some of the beneficiaries of his philanthropic streak included Omagh’s Tara Centre and Omagh Boys and Girls Youth Club, to whom he gifted $10,000 dollars in 2021.

The same reputation that in life preceded Larry both sides of the Atlantic has with his passing now become his legacy.