‘Passionate about sport and music since youth’
Liverpool, Rathnure, the tin whistle and accordion were also favourites.
When his brothers and sisters last met him, he spoke of a planned trip to Liverpool with his wife, Ciara, and daughters, Leanne and Shania.
Leanne, five, had wanted to see where Liverpool played and her parents promised to take her to the stadium before she was due to start school in September.
But a holiday was the last thing on Mr Dunne’s mind last weekend as he set about ensuring that the family would die together — with his wife’s assistance, his family claim.
Mr Dunne went to school in Rathnure and it was there that his life-long love of Rathnure Hurling Club began, even though many of his siblings were supporters of neighbours and rivals Buffer’s Alley.
He was the fifth of nine children, after Larry, Maureen, Bridget and James — who himself committed suicide almost a month ago — and before Vernon, who died at the age of seven weeks but would have been 28 today had he lived, Cornelius, Natasha and Sebastian.
Hughie, Mary and their children lived in Ferns when little Adrian was born, but moved to Forstalstown when he was four years old, while the family also spent much time at the home of the grandparents in Boolavogue.
By the time he died last weekend, Mr Dunne was fully blind — but this was not always the case.
He was born with cataracts and was visually impaired as a result, but could see during his early years.
He gradually lost sight in his left eye while at school, and at the age of 19 surgery designed to correct that problem instead resulted in him losing his sight, according to his sister, Bridget.
However, he maintained his interest in soccer and hurling, and continued playing the tin whistle and accordion for which his father Hughie was renowned for many years around Wexford.
According to Mr Dunne’s sister and mother, he showed no signs of depression in recent weeks, albeit while grieving for his brother, and seemed to be excited about the forthcoming trip to Liverpool, while the whole family was looking forward to Leanne starting school in September. She would have been six by then.
She was already being given a headstart by her proud mother, who was teaching her Irish.
