FUNDRAISER: Derry O'Leary wanted to thank care staff who looked after him while he fought cancer so a fundraiser was set up in his memory.

By Sean Moriarty

A GoFundMe campaign set up in memory of a popular Killarney man has already raised €8,000 for cancer charities in the county.

Derry (Jeremiah) O'Leary, from Flesk Bridge House, Muckross Road, and formerly of Inch, Kilcummin, passed away on Easter Saturday after a long fight with the disease.

Derry was so thankful for the care he received in the Palliative Day Care and Palliative Care Hospice at University Hospital Kerry and the support from the Irish Cancer Society Daffodil Nurses that it was one of his last wishes a fundraiser for these charities should be set up in his name after he passed.

He was well-known around Killarney having worked in a variety of roles with companies including Transmould, Dawn Dairies and finally Stryker Medical in Macroom.

An avid Liverpool fan he had travelled many times to Anfield to see his beloved Reds play. Derry also travelled to many race meetings across the country and abroad with Cheltenham being one of his favourites.

Indeed, it was at the Killarney Races where he first met his wife Helen Mannix, and later ended up proposing at the Galway Festival which became a yearly celebration for them.

Helen said she was thrilled with the response to the fundraiser.

“This is what he wanted, and I wanted to do it sooner rather than later," she told the Killarney Advertiser.

"He was very grateful to the staff at the three charities and would even look forward to his trip to University Hospital Kerry every Wednesday as his day out – they were so good."

Derry was an accomplished sportsman too and played for the Kilcummin GAA side that won the 1997 Intermediate Football Championship with his father Jerry as selector. He was also a keen soccer player with Anabla FC and Mastergeeha, and was a member of the 1994 St Brendan’s College team that won the Corn Uí Mhuirí.

His cousin Sean O’Leary also played for Kilcummin in 1997.

“Derry was a major part in us winning," he said.

"Derry got bad news over two years ago and faced his illness like every battle he faced on the field with determination and courage. May the sod lay lightly on Derry, my old teammate, cousin and loyal friend.”

To donate, go to GoFundMe: Derry O Leary Memorial Fund.