The Late John O'Callaghan A hand-written note by a bunch of fresh flowers at the site of the fatal crash in Castleisland tells a lot about John O'Callaghan. It reads: "Dad you are our life and our soul and you will always remain in our hearts forever". John O'Callaghan will be remembered as a kind father and husband and somebody who gave hugely to his local community in Abbeydorney over the past four decades. He first arrived in Abbeydorney from Buttevant in North Cork as a contract worker on the building of the new parish church. There he met his wife-to-be, Nora and quickly settled into North Kerry life. His love for hurling and GAA quickly became apparent: It would not be long before John O'Callaghan would wear the O'Dorney jersey. A talented hurler, John went on to be a selector with the 1974 team that won the Senior County Hurling Championship. He also gave part of his life to Brick Rangers and served in office with his local GAA club. He also made an impact as a referee and his tragic loss will reverberate throughout the GAA fraternity in North Kerry and beyond. John's tragic death remains partly a mystery. Above anything else in his life, he was known as an experienced and conscientious driver. Having spent several years as a taxi driver with Dial-a-Merc in Tralee, he left that company just a few weeks ago to start a job with O'Sheas Coaches. Typical of his commitment to work on the roads, John left Tralee in the early hours of Monday morning. He was headed for Dublin where he was scheduled to pick up a tour at the airport. Bill O'Mahony of Dial-a-Merc remembers John as a hard-working man who always sought to make business, even when things were quiet. "John always went after the extra few bob. When other drivers might, sit in the rank, John would chase business and find people on the streets - a true sign of good taxi driver," Mr O'Mahony said. His sudden and tragic death had left the community around Abbeydorney saddened and confused. For a small area, Abbeydorney has got more than its share of tragedy in recent months. John's death follows the premature death of 22 year old Mike Roche from Milltown in Abbeydorney. The young apprentice mechanic was killed in road accident in the early hours of Monday morning January 24th. He was the second member of his family to die in tragic circumstances. St Bernard Church in Abbeydorney was also packed to bid a farewell to Michael Hurley who was killed tragically in an accident in Tralee in the same month. Courtesy of the The Kerryman 7th July 2005 Tweet

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