AT the end of a short life marked by the warrior spirit, it was only appropriate Dónal Walsh’s passing was sealed with a haka.

It was the young people among the mourners that seemed most affected by the death of the inspirational and rugby-loving Dónal Walsh.

Today, inspirational teenager Dónal Walsh will be buried. This is an essay he wrote about how he dealt with his two crushing cancer diagnoses

“Dónal Walsh saw beauty everywhere around him. The beauty of the world the rest of us had chosen to ignore and not appreciate.”

A coroner who frequently highlights the high level of suicide in the country believes appeals by the late Dónal Walsh to his peers not to take their lives will have a lasting impact.

SPEAKING on TV last month, Dónal Walsh came to national prominence, and not before time.