Scart’s Impression of the Loaves and Fishes Marks the Late Donal’s 50th

Local lads from left: Sé O’Donnell, Darragh O’Sullivan, Liam O’Connor and Frank Salmon pictured at the Sliabh Luachra Heritage Centre in Scartaglen on Sunday for the Donal Kerin Birthday Memorial Kerry Hospice Coffee Morning. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Maureen McAdams (left) with Annette Walsh-Kerin, organiser; Anna Kerin, Shauna Tangney and Emma Kerin at the Donal Kerin Birthday Memorial Hospice Coffee Morning in Scartaglen on Sunday morning. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Members of the O’Connor, O’Mahony and Sheahan clans supporting Sunday morning’s Donal Kerin Birthday Memorial Kerry Hospice Coffee Morning in Scartaglen. Included are: Karen, Mary, Dan and Joan O’Connor with Libbie O’Mahony and Danielle Sheahan. ©Photograph: John Reidy

The scene at the Sliabh Luachra Heritage Centre in Scartaglen on Sunday morning shortly after the doors opened for the Donal Kerin Birthday Memorial Kerry Hospice Coffee Morning. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Mary, Anne and Cassie McGuire from Currow at the Sliabh Luachra Heritage Centre in Scartaglen on Sunday for the Donal Kerin Birthday Memorial Kerry Hospice Coffee Morning. ©Photograph: John Reidy

A glorious August Sunday morning in Scartaglen as the crowd gathers for the Donal Kerin 50th Birthday Memorial Hospice Fundraising Coffee Morning. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Far from the madding crowd. Three young Scartaglen friends: Tadhg O’Connor (left) with Dylan O’Connell and Luke Salmon pictured at Sunday morning’s Donal Kerin Birthday Memorial Kerry Hospice Coffee Morning in Scart. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Local men from left: Danny O’Connell, Seán Tangney, Tadhg O’Connor and Hugh O’Connell were at the Sliabh Luachra Heritage Centre in Scartaglen on Sunday for the Donal Kerin Birthday Memorial Kerry Hospice Coffee Morning. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Locals, Cian and Meabh Murphy with their parents, Danny and Catriona pictured in Scartaglen on Sunday morning at the Donal Kerin Birthday Memorial Kerry Hospice Coffee Morning. ©Photograph: John Reidy

The biblical miracle of the loaves and fishes flashed across the mind’s eye in Scartaglen on Sunday morning as the crowd flocked to the Sliabh Luachra Heritage Centre at the opening time of 10am.

The occasion was the Donal Kerin 50th Birthday Memorial Coffee Morning in aid of the Kerry Hospice Foundation.

Donal died at home in Carker on St. Stephen’s Night last in the loving care of his wife Annette and children, Jack, Paul and Grace.

Forever Grateful

Annette said that the family will be forever grateful for the role the hospice foundation played in easing Donal’s final hours.

“When we knew the treatment that Donal was getting wasn’t working any longer, he was advised to stay in the hospital – but he wanted to come home.

“On the night Donal died, St. Stephen’s Night, we had the hospice clinical nurse manager Liz Reidy-McCarthy here. She was on her Christmas holidays and yet she was here for us and she was prepared to spend the night here with us if necessary.

Wasn’t To Be

“We always thought that we’d be sitting down together to a meal to celebrate Donal’s 50th birthday but that wasn’t to be,” Annette reflected.

“We thought that a fundraising coffee morning here in Scartaglen on the day of Donal’s birthday might be a good way of expressing our gratitude for the outstanding service which was put at our disposal when we really needed it.

“From the time the doors opened in the centre here in Scart on Sunday morning at 10am the place was buzzing with people.

Army of Men and Women

I’m so thankful to the army of both men and women who got around us and brought an unbelievable amount of food.

They dished out tea and coffee and home baking up to nearly 2 o’clock in the afternoon and they all got stuck into the cleaning up afterwards,” said Annette.

The food which survived the early and sustained demand was all donated to different people around the locality and there wasn’t a crumb of waste.

Counting is Ongoing

Before a grain of tea was wet or a spoon of coffee put in a cup, the event had already attracted an impressive level of donations and the counting is going on and will continue for some time.

There will be a final tally and a cheque presentation in due course.

The people of Scartaglen don’t do things by halves and they proved it yet again on the glorious Sunday morning of August 20^th 2023 – the day on which one of their own, Donal Kerin of Carker would have celebrated his 50^th birthday.

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