Donal's Mountain

At sixteen, Donal Walsh became known across Ireland after a letter he wrote was printed in the Irish Sunday Independent. In it, he spoke out against the number of young people taking their own lives. He had been fighting cancer since he was twelve, enduring painful chemotherapy and repeated operations, and by the time the letter appeared he was dying. Donal did not believe death was a way out, and he wanted others to understand that.

With only weeks left, he appeared on television to again stress the value of staying alive and of asking for help when life becomes overwhelming. He died on 12 May 2013. This book tells his story from a more personal angle, showing the boy beneath the illness: a young man from County Kerry whose approach to dying taught those around him about living. It covers his close relationships with his parents, his sister and his young friends, along with the unusual and hopeful way he viewed his life. It also follows how he came to accept his condition and how he chose to spend his final weeks helping as many people as he could.

Before he died, Donal asked only that his parents carry on his work and keep alive the message about the importance of living. The book is written as the continuation of that request.