Dónal Walsh - Remember his message

Never has the untimely death of a teenager carried such import.

As Fr Francis Nolan stated at the funeral in Tralee of Dónal Walsh yesterday, young people should remember the message of the 16-year-old who powerfully appealed to them not to end their lives.

His passing has forced the nation to reflect on the tragedy of suicide, a plague which has taken a disastrous toll on the young people of this country, especially in Kerry where it is widespread in the current crisis. He would have enjoyed the sight of leading sportsmen bearing his coffin. Hopefully, the legacy of this extraordinary young man who died of cancer will reverberate for many years to come in the minds of young people and encourage them to think of what they stand to lose rather than taking their own lives.