Hundreds pay respects to Donal Walsh

their school uniforms braved hail, wind and driving rain in the seaside village of Blennerville to pay their respects to Donal Walsh, who lay in repose at his home from early afternoon yesterday.

Donal (16), who had terminal cancer had appealed to young people to appreciate life. He died on Sunday surrounded by his family.

Among the mourners at his home looking on to Tralee Bay and the Slievemish mountains were Minister of State Kathleen Lynch and the south Kerry coroner, Terence Casey.

Weeks after Donal’s moving reflection on life, death and his anger at suicide came to light, Mr Casey asked the young to heed his words in an attempt to stem the increase in the number of suicides in Kerry. Several figure s from the world of sport also paid their respects to his parents, Fionnbar and Elma, and his only sibling, sister Jema (18), and other relatives.

Among the first to call in the afternoon were Kerry football manager Eamon Fitzmaurice and senior players Brian Sheehan, Killian Young and Kieran Donaghy.

It emerged yesterday that the rugby player Paul O’Connell had called to see Donal on Sunday before departing for the Lions training in Wales.

Former t á naiste Dick Spring, as well as his nephew , Labour TD Arthur Spring, and former Fianna Fá il TD Tom McEllistrim also paid their respects early.

Senior figures from the hotel industry in the southwest – Fionnbar Walsh is a former president of the Irish Hotels Federation in Kerry – also called. Among these were Conor Hennigan, manager of the Malton Hotel in Killarney and a board member of Fá ilte Ireland.

Sports jerseys, a pen and a furry toy were among the items on the youth's open coffin yesterday.

'Atmosphere of sadness'
At his school, CBS the Green, Tralee, the school prayer room was being used for reflection and prayer. School principal Anne O'Callaghan spoke of an atmosphere of sadness pervading the school. It was Donal's request that his class, 5A, would provide a guard of honour today and the whole school would attend the Mass at St John's Parish Church in the centre of Tralee.

The cortege today will move from his home to Strand Road and the Kerins O’Rahillys GAA club, where a further guard of honour will accompany the cortege to the church.

There several members of the Munster rugby team are set to shoulder his coffin.

Tralee Rugby Club, which announced his death and where Donal was a much-loved figure, are also expected to play a leading part in the funeral ceremony.

“I live in a part of the world that is s urrounded by mountains. I can’t turn my head without finding a bloody hill or mountain and I suppose those were God’s plans for me. To have me grow up around mountains and grow climbing a few too. And that’s exactly what I’ve done . . . I’ve climbed God’s mountains . . . And as much as I’d love to go around to every fool on this planet and open their eyes to the mountains that surround them in life, I can’t. But maybe if I shout from mine they’ll pay attention,” he wrote.

Mass will be celebrated at noon today in St John’s Church, Tralee, with burial afterwards in Rath Cemetery, Tralee.

The funeral mourners are being asked to make donations in lieu of flowers to the palliative care unit at Kerry General Hospital, Tralee, and Care 4 Kids.