We in the West Wicklow Historical Society are deeply saddened by the death of our friend Donal McDonnell, who was our current Hon. Secretary. For over forty years Donal was associated with the WWHS and he came to be synonymous with the Society. Over time he served in the roles of Hon. Treasurer, Chairman and Hon. Secretary for more years than anyone can remember. He also was joint editor (with Chris Lawlor) of the Society’s Journal from 2007 forward.
Donal had a rich knowledge of local history that included diverse facts about places, people and traditions. He knew West Wicklow (and beyond) like the back of his hand. His wealth of information is lost to us in the WWHS and the people of the area. On a practical level, Donal kept the Society going on various fronts, and our summer excursions were usually organised by him. His loss is a great blow to the WWHS in terms of management but more so on a personal level.
We extend our sympathy to his sister Maura.
Photo credit: Philip Reilly