Don O'Leary

So sorry to hear about the passing of Don. RIP. Don did some Trojan work in his tenure in the Life centre over the years. What an inspiration to the young people who were lucky enough to pass through that red door. Such a gentle man. My condolences to his family and friends. RIP Don🙏🏼

Deepest sympathy to Don’s family at this very sad time. I am truly sorry for your loss. A bright life has left our lives.🕯️Thank you Don for all you did for my son at the Life Center. Rest in peace Don you are missed.🕯️

Condolences to the families may he rest in peace,

Sincere condolences to the O’Leary family, I had the privilege of meeting him and hearing of his amazing work, I won’t forget him. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

Sincerest condolences to Don’s family, friends & everyone at the Life Centre.Don was instrumental in guiding & supporting so many young people to achieve their potential. RIP

Sad to hear Hear of Don's passing,
A great man, some very good memories, may you rest in peace mo chara,
Thoughts and prayers for your family

My sincere condolences to all of the
O Leary family , on this sad occasion. May Don rest in peace.

Our sincere condolences to Betty, Don, Eilis, Daniel, James, Eoin and Cian and all Dons family and friends. We loved Don dearly, an inspiration to us and to so many others, a real friend and ally, he will be sorely missed. His unrelenting support made a huge difference in keeping us going through the tougher times.

RIP Don. We will never forget you.

Rip don our deepest sympathy to your family for there loss, great memories of you and your family in the Fianna,

A gentleman and a scholar may he rest in peace.

I would like to offer my sincere condolences to all of Don's immediate family and to his family in the Life Centre. I was so sad to learn of his passing. I was lucky enough to encounter Don for the first time over 20 years ago as a young Social Worker. Having previously worked as a teacher I was fascinated by Don's vision of what education should look like. It was clear to me that Don believed that the system should fit in to the needs of the children rather than the children having to fit in to the system. He was certainly a man ahead if his time. I still remember the children I worked with and the way they were encouraged and supported and believed in by Don and Rachel and the entire team. I will remember Don as a champion advocate and educator who wasn't shy to challenge when the challenging was necessary. May Don's lovely, kind soul rest in peace.

Condolences to his family

Eilis I am so sorry for your loss. I only met your Dad twice but I was aware of the impact he had on so many lives. Sincere sympathy to you and all your family at this very sad and difficult time. Sheila O Driscoll

Sincere sympathy to the family of Don on your huge loss.
One of nature's gentlemen, he will be fondly remembered by many.
Rest in peace Don

Rest In Peace Don, a Great Man.
Condolences to all of your family. Thinking of you all.

My deepest condolences to Don’s family, friends, colleagues and to the many young people and families whose lives were positively impacted by his tireless efforts to make education serve young people. His legacy will live on in every life he touched.

Deepest condolences to the O' Leary family, thoughts and prayers with you all at this very sad time.

To Ruairi and Don’s family I was so sad to hear of Don’s passing we studied together in UCC had many lively debates around volunteering he will be sadly missed for his passionate energy and belief in young people.

Martina

My deepest sympathy to Don’s family on his passing.He was a visionary, a compassionate and gifted man who ran the best school in Ireland. May he rest in peace.

Sincere condolences to Don's family, it was apparent how much he loved you all. He has left a legacy and I was privileged to work with him in the Life Centre. Keeping you all in my thoughts.

I am deeply saddened by the passing of Don. He was a man with a strong backbone, integrity, honesty and loyalty. A rare kind. He did an immense work in Cork City, not only with young people, but supporting anyone he could, regardless of their background, in Ireland and abroad. He was a kind but yet incredibly strong person, with an immense resilient energy to create change with intelligence and wit. I will always be forever grateful for his support while doing work with migrants and people of migrant's origin, but also most importantly at a personal level. A huge and massive loss for Cork City. My deepest sincere condolences to his family, his Life Center team, and close friends. You will be missed. R.I.P Don.

I had the pleasure of volunteering at the Life Centre during 2009. When I met Don, I knew straight away he was one of a kind. To see him be so devoted to the young people at the Life Centre and see their worth, potential and power when the system had failed them in many ways, was inspiring. He was also so patient and understanding towards the staff. Don also had a great sense of humour and playfulness about him which was a potent mix! Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Don was full of passion and conviction on behalf of young people's education and carried a torch bravely on their behalf. My deepest sympathy to his wife Betty and family. Ar dheis De go raibh se. Former Chair of the Life Centre Dublin.

My deepest condolences to the O’Leary family on the very sad passing of such a amazing gentleman. He will be such a huge loss to many but especially his family.
Our family owes so much to Don as our son was out of school for sometime but Don agreed to give him a chance and it turned his life around where he attended every day for three years, successfully completed his leaving and happily studying in UCC now, this would not have been possible without Don and the Cork Life Centre.
Our Thoughts and Prayers are with you all.
May Don Rest in Peace.

My sincere sympathies to Betty, Don, Eilis and Dons extended family, as well as everyone whose life he touched through his work and dedication to the Cork Life Centre.
My thoughts and prayers are with you at this sad time. May he Rest in Peace.

My sincere condolences to the O'Leary family on your loss. What an absolute honour it was to witness Don advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable children whom the system had let down. He was fearless in pursuing the rights and dignity of children who were otherwise lost and the Life Centre is testament to his courage, vision and legacy. Rest in peace Don.

Sincere sympathy to the O'Leary families on the sad passing of Don ... May he rest in peace 🙏

Deeply saddened to hear of Don’s passing. He was a man of tremendous heart and unstoppable drive. His kindness and energy had a positive impact on so many. My thoughts and prayers are with Don, Eilis, and his wife Betty a during this difficult time

To Betty, Don, Eilis, and to all Don's family, loved ones, friends and colleagues, I am so very sorry for your loss. Don was such a spirited, socially engaged and thoughtful person. He understood the seriousness of life but he also knew the value of fun, creativity and imagination. He made a huge contribution to Cork City and to lives of countless people here and further afield. It was an honour to know him. May he rest in peace.

Sincerest condolance to dons wife betty son daughter grand children may he rest in peace

Sincere sympathy to Betty & family on the passing of Don. It was a privilege to know him. May Don Rest in Peace.

My deepest condolences to Gearóid and all the O’Leary family on the passing of Don, may he rest in peace.

You were a lioness defending her cubs. You were a shepherd of your people. Please pray for me Don. You were so good to Colm and all my family. I will miss you so much. Tony.

My sincerest condolences to Betty, Don, Eilis, extended family and all who mourn the great loss of Don.
He was a force of nature with a unique power to bring people around to his way of thinking. He inspired trust , belief and hope in all of his students but equally so in any of us who found ourselves in his orbit. He was continually forcing the education system to look at things differently and put the children first. The Cork Life Centre was a beacon of how that can be done, and I hope that his legacy will be the proliferation of more such centres for those children who need a different approach to help them reach their potential. Rest In Peace Don.

Condolences to all the O’Leary family on the sad passing of Don may he rest in peace

Don was my youth club leader in Farranree youth club. We did bag packing for a few years which allowed us to be able to go to salou and albufiera. We had more than we need d and always had a great time.

He was a hard man and a tough man, but kept us all in line.

His wife Betty and daughter Eilis were also very good to us.

He was very good to us, we did plays and music nights and it's a time I'll always remember.

RIP Don.

So sorry Betty Don Elis Daniel James Eoin and Cian on the big loss of a brilliant husband father and grandfather. He will be sadly missed . Love you Don. I will never forget you xx

Don was a huge support to me in my work as a Counsellor at Cork Life Centre. He had an amazing ability to gain the respect and trust of every student who walked through the Red Door. He built a strong team around him and created a space where students felt safe to open up and express their individuality without any fear of judgement. Don believed in the ability of every student to realise their potential and encouraged each and every one of them to find their voice.

Thank you Don for helping so many students to recognise their worth. My sincere condolences to all your family and friends.

May you rest in peace now.

Rest in peace, sleep well

Sincere condolences to Betty and family on the sad passing of Don. May he rest in peace.

Condolences to all the O Leary family , may Don rest in peace .

Our sincere condolences to Betty and Family on the sad passing of Don thinking of you all at this difficult time may Don rest in peace

Thinking of Eilis and her family at this tough

Sincere condolences to Betty, Eilis and Don and the extended family on your sad loss. Don was an incredible man, always with a smile, a challenge, a cup of tea and a good (often one sided) chat! He inspired so many people, young people, students and peers alike. He was selfless and truly lived the values of social justice, youth work and community work.. He advocated tirelessly for young people and for the profession of youth work. We will miss him hugely as a teacher, colleague and friend. I'm sure hes up there now seeing where he can make a difference! Don will never be forgotten, an amazing and admirable life and human being. Rest in Peace Don.

Sincerest condolences to the O' Leary family on the sad passing of Don.
I had the pleasure of working with Don a number of years ago in CLC. An absolute gentleman with a unwavering focus on helping the young people in the CLC reach their full potential. He will be sadly missed. May he rest in peace.

Condolences to Don's family and the staff and students in Cork Life Centre.
He was a unique in his strong belief in hearing the voices and opinions of young people and challenging a rigid education system.
He made a difference.
He will be missed.
Joan Cronin

Sincerest condolences to the family and all who knew him.
rest in peace Don

My deepest condolences to the O’Leary family. May you find comfort in the love and support of those around you.Sending my heartfelt sympathy to Dons brothers and sisters Chris,Paul,Nollaig,Emmet,Ruairi, Gearoid berna and Carmel during this difficult time. May cherished memories bring you peace, and may his soul rest in eternal peace.

Condolences to his wife and family,may he rest in eternal peace.

Sincere condolences to Don's family and loved ones. May his brave beautiful soul rest in peace 🙏🏼

Sincere condolences to the O' Leary family on the passing of Don. May he rest in peace.

Don was a diamond and he was a lifeline to so many kids that struggled with attending regular schools. They definitely broke the mould when they made Don. His passion for educating teens who didn't fit the mould of bog standard secondary education. My daughter was so fond of Don and everything he did to include her in The Life Centre. He was the heart of the school and the board of education should look to his model as it was genius. Everyone will miss you and your 110% work ethic

Our sincere condolences to Betty, Don, Ellish and the extended O'Leary family on the sad passing of Don.
May he rest in peace.

Sympathies and thoughts to Don’s family, friends and colleagues at the Cork Life Centre. From all of us at Rethink Ireland.

Condolences to Carmel, Ber, brothers and the extended O Leary family on the passing of ye're brother Don. May he rest in peace🙏

So sad to hear about your Dad, Eilis. Sincere condolences to you and all the O’Leary family.

The world has lost a legend of a man his vision and his thinking was amazing he never gave up on anyone and we thank you Don condolences to his Family and may he rest in peace

Condolences to Betty and her family.
Rip Don....never forgotten in Tipp.

RIP

Sincere condolences on the loss of such a great man, a pilar and advocate of the community, for the youth he served and their families. Don's legacy will live on for many many years to come. Thank you Don for all your heartfelt altruistic work. Rest in Eternal Peace.