Inspirational Kerry teenager Donal Walsh remembered at 6km fundraising run in his honour

Irish Independent

27-05-2025

Donal passed away on May 12, 2013, just one month shy of his 17th birthday. He had been diagnosed with osteosarcoma, also known as bone cancer when he was just 12 years old.
When he was 16, he gained nationwide attention when, in an interview on Brendan O'Connor's The Saturday Night Show on RTÉ, he became angry at the issue of suicide amongst young people. He said that he struggled to understand how other young people could choose to end their lives when his was being taken away from him without a choice.
Donal, who had already endured cancer twice, had been diagnosed a third time and told that his condition was terminal. Donal used his profile to raise awareness of the conditions sick children and their families were experiencing in Crumlin Children's Hospital. He managed to raise €50,000 for the hospital.
After his death, his parents, Fionnbar and Elma, set up the Donal Walsh #LiveLife Foundation in his honour to help promote Donal's anti-suicide message.
Incredibly, despite the weather's recent return to wet and windy, Sunday's run avoided any rain whatsoever, the 11th year in a row that the run has not been rained on.
Donal's dad, Fionnbar, told The Kerryman that the run most definitely has something looking down on it to protect it from the rain.
"You can probably guess who that person is!' he laughed, adding that the run has always proved to be a huge success.
"I'd say that we had over 500 people there on the day. People were able to walk it or run it and the atmosphere was fantastic as always,' he continued.
The main highlight of the day was of course the looped 6km run that started and finished at the school. First home in the men's section of the run was past pupil Billy Naughton with Martin Ahern and David Chute a close second and third. Local triathlete, Ciara Tierney meanwhile scooped first place in the ladies section closely followed by past pupils Evie O'Sullivan and Anna Chute.
Other highlights on the day included a great food court organised by the Parent's Association while local musician Ian O'Doherty and street performer Ronaldo Fanzini were also on hand to provide great entertainment throughout the morning and afternoon.