Elma Walsh -mother of the late Donal Walsh on Donal’s time at The Green

DONAL loved his time at the school and even when he left he enjoyed going back there and chatting with the teachers and having the banter with them. Donal started there when he was 12 and he was diagnosed with cancer after only a week. He took a year out and even though they didn’t know Donal that well at the time, in fairness, the school was brilliant.

They got Donal an iPad and kept him in contact through a school that’s run through Crumlin. The teachers communicated with him and got him to do his studies while he was going through his chemotherapy. This really helped to keep his mind off the treatment, and for a 12 year old it was great to have that distraction.

There was always great support from the school for Donal. They treated him like a normal child as Donal never wanted to be treated like a sick person. When he got the cancer back the school arranged for him to continue his studies and I recall how Donal did his Junior Cert from home. The school stayed in contact through all that time.

Even today the school is still brilliant at remembering him and each year the school choir sing at his anniversary mass. It’s nice to stay in touch with the school and there is a lovely mural in the school to Donal which is a beautiful piece.

Donal loved all his teachers and it was Ruairi O’Rahilly who nominated one of Donal’s compositions for the Local Hero Awards; that’s how Donal came to prominence. Without Ruairi and the Green, Donal would never have been heard of. And it was through an interview on Radio Kerry that Brendan O’Connor in RTE heard of him which is when he was invited on the show. So I have to give Ruairi credit for starting that.

I remember Donal once said to me: ‘mom, do you think people will forget me?’ It’s extremely heart-warming to think that his school certainly hasn’t forgotten him. He would have loved that.