PAUL A. WHELAN

My deepest sympathies to Anna, Barry, Mary and Paul's wider family and many many friends.

Such a shock to hear of Paul's passing and what a loss of a multi-talented, beautiful, gentle soul with a unique power of observation, many interests and a quirky sense of humour.

Rest in peace Paul, and thank you for all the inspiration, learnings, wisdom and friendship.

We and the planet are grateful to have enjoyed your presence and appreciation of the small, the magical, the obscure and the intriguing nature of lichens.

You will be deeply missed.

Rest easy that your magnum opus will inspire, support and help a whole new cohort of young botanists, ecologists and anyone connected to the wild to look deeply at the magnificence and wonder of the natural world.

Thank you for the copy of the Lichens of Ireland and Great Britain that you so kindly sent me, it is treasured.

Paul. Thank you so much for the books on Lichens that you sent to me in October. I will treasure them so much. As a colleague in Dun Laoghaire Community School as it was known when you thought Biology to the Leaving Cert students back in the 80’s, you were such a pleasure to work with. You were always so pleasant and so kind to myself and other colleagues and so passionate when it came to teaching the Biology. Paul, you will be so sadly missed. May you rest in peace.

Paul was around in online events when I began with lichens; he will always be remembered as part of my first lichen learning experiences and his books will remain part of my lichen library as that learning continues.

Deepest condolences to Anna and all of Paul's family.
I recently got to know Paul as a kind, sweet person with a great passion for lichens and a positive outlook on life. It was a pleasure to meet him.

Thank you, Paul, for your wonderful two-volume book on lichens. I took up the study of lichens only fairly recently and your books have been so useful. I enjoyed your presence on the LCIG Zoom sessions where your knowledge was invaluable.

Very sorry to hear about the passing of Paul. So grateful for his friendship and his partnership on our book on Irish Insects. Sending all our love from Cambridge to Anna and family

So sorry to hear the sad news of Paul's passing , our deepest sympathy to Anna and family.

With hearts filled with sorrow and grief, we extend to you our deepest condolences and sincere sympathy on the passing of your beloved Paul.
We ask God to grant him His vast mercy, to grant you patience and comfort during this painful loss.
Truly, to God we belong and to Him we shall return.

Deepest sympathy to all family and friends in this grievous loss. As the humblest of student in the world of lichens I treasured Paul's first book on Irish lichen and was bowled over by his magisterial 2 vol. Lichens of Ireland & Great Britain. An amazing man, and a great loss to all who were privileged to be touched by his life and work, may he rest in peace and his memory give strength and comfort to his loved ones.

Mo chomhbhrón,
I have only met Paul online in the BLS Lichen Chat sessions. I was pleased to have the opportunity at one meeting to be able to tell him how much I am enjoying both volumes of his book.

I am shocked and deeply saddened to hear that Paul has died. He was always so encouraging of beginner lichenologists such as myself and treated every question with respect and deep thought. He was immensely knowledgable and generous with it. His recent 2-volume publication is a triumph and the whole lichen community will be grateful to him for producing such a brilliant reference.
My deepest sympathies to his wife and family. He will live on in your hearts and minds, and of all those who knew him.

Dear Anna, Barry and Family,
I am so sorry for your loss.
Although I only knew Paul for a short time, the generosity that so many people here have reflected on was abundantly clear to me, too - as was his quirky sense of humour. He was always encouraging of more books, more knowledge and more enthusiams for lichens. I know how hard and long he worked on his books, and I am so pleased that he was able to publish all that he did to share his knowledge with others.
The lichens have lost an articulate and spirited advocate.

Deepest sympathy to Anna and all of Paul's family.
I knew him through the British Lichen Society and was always impressed by his knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject. It was a pleasure to be able to help in a small way with the preparation of his latest book, and I'm glad we have that as a lasting memorial to his work. We will miss him.
Janet

I was sorry to learn that Paul died on 22 December. I am an amateur lichenologist in North Yorkshire, UK. I run the British Lichen Society’s “Zoom Lichen Chat and Improvement Group” (LCIG). We meet by Zoom fortnightly in winter and monthly in summer and share mini talks, pictures and discussions. https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/online-zoom . Paul came to the meetings quite often and I really feel I got to know him.

He gave a couple of talks in 2020 and 2021. I was always pleased when he came to the meetings because he could give his views on some of the more difficult species. And I could hear a bit about Ireland. He greatly contributed to the discussions. I was hoping he was gong to do another talk this last autumn but he emailed in November to say he had been taken to hospital.

I bought his two new books this November as a Christmas present to myself.

I am sorry that he has died, and you must miss him. But I am really pleased for his sake that he got his book out by the end of 2024. "Well done Paul!. And grateful for our (lichen people’s) sakes that we can benefit by reading, enjoying and using the books.

Condolences to all of Paul's family. He was such a lovely man. I met Paul about 12 years ago when he was a customer of Masons and since then we have had many a microscopy discussion and become friends. His passion for Lichens and microscopy was infectious. He will be sorely missed.

Deepest sympathies to Paul's family and friends. So saddened to hear of his passing. Previligd to have attended his walks on lichens in both Clare and East Cork. He will be sorely missed by many.

My sincere and heartfelt condolences Anna on Paul's passing.
Such a wonderful, kind, lovely man. It was always a pleasure to be in his company.
Thinking of you during this deepest of sorrow.
May Paul Rest In Peace.

Heartfelt condolences to all of Paul’s family. I only met him through online meetings, but he felt like a good friend who was always generous with his knowledge about lichens and microscopy. He will be much missed.

Deepest Sympathy to you Anna at such a sad time. We loved Paul , his wit and such intelligence. Remembered forever through his great works and kindness.

My condolences to Paul’s family. He was kind and generous with his impressive knowledge of lichens. He is missed.

Anna and Pauls family my sincere condolences on your great loss may he rest in peace

My sincere condolences to Anna and Paul’s family on the untimely passing of Paul. I always enjoyed our chats. May his soul rest in eternal peace 😔💔🙏

Deepest condolences to Barry and all the Whelan family on the sad passing of your brother Paul.
May he rest in peace.

My sincere condolences to Anna and to Paul's family on Paul's death. May he Rest In Peace.

Our sincere and heartfelt condolences to Barry Mary and all the family on the sad and untimely passing of Paul who definitely made such a positive & lasting impact on so many people through his writings on botanical matters…I remember him as an avid cyclist growing up in Southville/Gurteen 50+ years ago..May his gentle soul rest in peace

To Anna and all of Paul’s extended family. So sorry to hear this news. It was always a pleasure to meet him in the surgery. He always spoke about you Anna so fondly. Thinking of you at this very sad and difficult time.

Sincere sympathy Barry and extended Whelan family on the death of Paul. May he rest in peace.

I did not know Paul that well but in the short meetings we had together I recognised
a very gentle kind and lovely man let us hope that there is plenty of Lichen in Paradise
where we all know he rests
Jim Devoy

Deepest condolences and Heartfelt Sympathies to Anna, Pauls Family and very wide circle of friends ..Your wit, wonderful humour and knowledge will be sorely missed..Rest in Peace Paul..

My condolences to Paul's wife, Anna, and his extended family.
He has always been a kind, concerned and interested friend to me and my family.
In the 30 years I have known Paul we have shared discussions on logic, weather, ethics, sport cycling, natural history but above all, music - specifically Bach's Goldberg Variations. On his most recent visit to Mayo to photograph lichens in Old Head woods we covered ethics, trading Bach snippets on the piano and close observation of woodland and seashore life. My abiding memory- Paul, methodical and self-composed, standing inches from tree or rockface, glass in eye, peering intently, delightedly and deeply inward.
R. I. P.

Anna,
I was so saddened to hear about Paul’s sudden passing. He was extremely kind to us in 2020 when we approached him for advice & knowledge, and he gave us an abundance of both. We were so grateful and I will always remember his kindness to us.

Our deepest sympathy to you Anna, at this heart breaking time for you, and also to Barry & Mary and your extended families. May you all be comforted by remembering your happy times together down through the years.

Anna, you will be in our thoughts and prayers during the sad and lonely days ahead.

Eimer Drumm & family, Limerick

Barry and all the Whelan
Deepest sympathy on the passing of Paul. May he rest in peace

Our sincere condolences to Anna on the sad loss of Paul RIP

Sending my sincere sympathies to you Mary, Paul’s wife Anna and all the family at this saddest of times. I pray you will be comforted in your sorrow by the love and support of each other and all who loved him. May he rest in peace.

Paul was indeed ‘The Lichen Man’. He brought the lichens and lichen history of Ireland to the fore in completing two terrific volumes of The Lichens of Ireland and Great Britain, published in 2024, a long and arduous work of which he was quietly proud and happy. And it is good. It will act to inspire and give great pleasure to many. He will be sadly missed by lichen colleagues and friends. Sandy and Brian Coppins

Dear Anna, Sally told me of the untimely passing of your husband Paul. My sincere condolences to you and Paul’s family. May he rest in peace.

My deepest sympathy to Barry, Mary and all the Whelan family.Paul was our good neighbour at Southville for many years with fond memories.
May Paul’s soul rest in peace.

Sincerest condolences to Anna, Mary and our fellow member Barry on the sad passing of Paul. May he rest in peace.

Brón ar a m-bás/. Bhí mé ar scoil le Paul i CBS Sexton Street, Limerick, Leaving Cert 1970. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dílis. Noel P Ryan
Australia

Anna, my condolences on your loss. Paul made valuable contributions to Ellen Hutchins Festivals and he will be sorely missed.

Condolences to Anna, Barry and Mary on the sad passing of Paul. He was a classmate in CBS Sexton Street in the late sixties. May Paul rest in peace.

Rest in Peace Paul

Our deepest sympathy to Anna, Barry and Mary and Mary on the very sad passing of Paul . Keeping you in our thoughts and prayers at this time. Rest in Peace Paul .

To Anna, Mary and Barry, sincere sympathy on the passing of Paul. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this sad time. May Paul rest in peace.

Sincere condolences to Barry,Mary,Bryan,Trevor and the extended Whelan Family on the passing of Paul.
Rest in peace Paul

My sincere sympathies to Anna, Barry and Mary. Paul was a gentleman and a scholar whom it was a privilege to know. His ground-breaking work on Irish lichens was an inspiration to us all. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

My condolences and sympathy to Anna and Paul's family on his sad passing. Only knew him through the art class but he was a lovely man. May he rest in peace.

My sympathy to Paul's wife Anna and to Barry and Mary on the sudden death of their dear brother. Rest in peace Paul.

Our sincere condolences to Anna, Barry and Mary and the Whelan family on the sad passing of Paul.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

My thoughts and sympathy are with Paul's family. Paul was wonderfully enthusiastic and extremely generous with his knowledge.

Barry, Mary, Bryan and Trevor. Sincere condolences on your loss. You are all in our thoughts

Rest in peace Uncle Paul - a unique person with unique intelligence and humour. Sorry you had to leave us so quickly. I'll miss your advice, medical knowledge and love of all being things. Even the jokes you would text me that I never really got, such was your quirkiness! Thanks for introducing Rowan to a world of atoms, curiosity and love of science. I will miss you a lot.

Dear Anna
I am so so, sorry to hear of Paul's passing. May he rest in peace. Warm regards Angela

Sincere sympathy to all the family on Paul's passing. He was a genuinely nice guy. RIP Paul

Anna, sincere condolences on the sudden passing of Paul, may Paul rest in eternal peace, Carol and Kieren

Rest in peace Paul, gone much too soon. My earliest tutor for pc gaming, AutoCad, and classical music played at excessive volumes. You will be missed. Love to Anna from Bryan, Tara, Max, and Hugo.

Our sincere condolences to Anna, Barry and Mary. So saddened to hear of the passing of Paul. A great friend of mine for many decades. He was gifted at computers and music. He has written many books on Lichen and botanical academical material. Paul was a connoisseur of fine art. He will be a loss to the cultural world. May he rest in peace.

I had the pleasure to meet Paul and Anna on just a few occasions. Lichens are a group that get little attention among the natural history community, but everybody who will work on them in the future will be forever grateful to Paul for setting down such a firm foundation on their distribution and identification in his recent authoritative two-volume work. My sympathy goes to his wife Anna and his siblings and their families.

Sincere condolences, thinking of you at this sad time.

Barry and Whelan family, sincere condolences on the death of your brother Paul. May he rest in peace.