BY HELEN RIDDELL
FOND tributes have been paid to stalwart of the Irish fishing industry Donal ‘Dan’ O’Driscoll who was laid to rest in Castletownbere on Monday.
Donal was instrumental in establishing an RNLI lifeboat station in Castletownbere and was a founding member of the Castletownbere Fishermen’s Co-op and the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation (ISWFPO).
Born in Sherkin Island in 1933, one of a family of 16, he started fishing with his brothers at the age of 17. A spokesperson for the ISWFPO said: ‘Donal was one of Ireland’s most vocal, articulate and valued representatives of our industry, both at home and abroad.’
Due to the current restrictions, Donal’s funeral was private. However, members of the lifeboat crew paid tribute as the hearse passed their station where the flag flew at half mast and local fishermen stood by their boats, maintaining social distance, as the hearse made its way along the town’s main pier.
Damien Turner of ISWFPO played the bagpipes in the graveyard as Donal was laid to rest and two white flares were released.
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