B

By Sean Moriarty

Tributes have been paid to one of Killarney’s greatest charity workers who died suddenly on Easter Saturday.

John 'Noelie' O’Sullivan (70) from St Brendan’s Terrace in Killarney, and originally from Scart Cross, was laid to rest on Tuesday.

Noelie was very well known in Killarney especially for his charity work, but also gave the best part of 40 years working in the kitchen in St Finan’s Hospital.

Over the years Noelie helped many local charities. As a former cancer patient, he was a great supporter of the Kerry Cork Health Link Bus and The Kerry Hospice Foundation and was a familiar face on the streets of Killarney during each of these charities' annual collections.

Local councillor and neighbour Marie Moloney first got to know Noelie when she was a volunteer for a local Meals on Wheels service and she would collect meals prepared by Noelie in St Finan’s.

“He would always greet you with a smile and would have time for a chat,” she told the Killarney Advertiser. “He could talk about anything, from local news to political debate, but you would never fail to get a smile. He was very proud of his nieces and nephew and always spoke with pride of what they were up to. I extend my condolences to his family.”

He was a regular Mass goer and rarely missed any occasion at the Franciscan Friary where he counted Fr Anthony Jukes as one of his friends.

“He was very devoted to St Anthony and never missed a Tuesday novena,” Fr Jukes told the Killarney Advertiser. “He had a very kind side to him too, he would often drop off cakes and buns to the staff in the Friary.”

Former colleagues were unable to attend his funeral Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral on Tuesday morning, but gathered at a physical distance from the top of High St to the Cleeney Roundabout to applaud the funeral procession as Noelie made his final journey to Aghadoe Cemetery.

“That will tell you how popular he was,” said former St Finan’s Catering Officer, Mike Breen. “He was a pure gentleman.”

Other colleagues paid tribute too.

“He was a very generous man, almost to fault, an all-round good egg,” said Bridie Doherty, who worked alongside him for 34 years and stayed in touch through their retirement years. “He was great fun to be around and treated everyone the same, from management and staff to clients, they were all the same in his eyes.”

Noelie is survived by his sisters Peggy (Harrington) in (Boston) and Kathleen (Galvin) in Castlecove, brothers Dan Joe and Michael, brothers-in-law Dan and Tommy, nieces, nephew, colleagues from the former St Finan’s Hospital, and many friends.

He was predeceased by his parents Michael and Catherine, sister Maureen, brother Patrick and brother-in-law Daniel.