Her zaman gülümsemenle hatırlayacağım seni Sean. Seni çok seviyorum.

A lovely man was taken from this world - my brother in law Sean Joseph Donnelly. What a fantastically Irish name. Although he made his home in England, I always had the sense of him as an Irishman bringing the beauty of his embodied within him. I loved as a child to hear his stories of fishing in Ireland by tickling the trout to catch them and other tales of a rural childhood. I have many photographs of him taken over the years and they show how I like to remember him, fun loving, playful and always smiling. He was such a friendly and warm personality to be around. I can hear the lilt of his wonderful Irish accent as I view these pictures and the merriment that was so often in his voice. A fantastic husband to my sister, a wonderful father to his children and a proud grandfather and great grandfather. Cancer took him physically from us but it can never take away our many happy memories of this gentle man. May he now rest in peace. Our thoughts with all those affected and we are looking forward to seeing you all soon, albeit wishing it was in happier circumstances. Let the funeral be a celebration for a man who liked the craic, no one standing on ceremony as he would have wished and in memory of a very special individual.

Sean was lovely and welcoming when he moved with Den into their new home in Kingscourt, not that long ago. We, on the other hand, had been living here for over 40 years so WE should have been welcoming THEM. That was typical of him and Den: warm thoughtful and hospitable. Sean immediately made tea and brought wine, too, and we all four chatted amiably, with much laughter, in their conservatory. His flowers in the patio were beautiful and there was an atmosphere of contentment. We had known them since the '80s (Archway School) and were glad to be back in touch again and to be neighbours. Sean didn't go on about himself, I noticed, even when in pain. We'll both remember him very fondly and in gratitude.