Tears and tributes in warrior’s send-off

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.

Dónal, the anti-suicide campaigner who finally succumbed to cancer last weekend, would have turned 17 in a month’s time and, as he was laid to rest yesterday, all the aspects of his rich but truncated life seemed to be on display.

There were tears and tributes to a young man who sprang to fame in his latter months, yet never wanted all the acclaim.