TRIBUTE: Kilkenny man had 'a constant beaming smile for everyone he met'

“How many roads must a man walk down. Before you call him a man?”

The first lines of the Bob Dylan classic 'Blowing in the Wind' carry so much weight and can be interpreted in many ways - life’s journey, personal growth and the struggles we face as we travel through our lifetime.

My friend John Donovan faced many obstacles through his 55 years, but he always met every challenge until, on his passing on Wednesday last.

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I’m proud to call John my friend and feel honoured to be one of his many circle of friends. John wouldn’t want any of us to be sad, but we are and will be for a long time; our hearts are heavy because we know that John won’t be with us anymore when the Donovan Coffee Heads, an ad-hoc group he personally created, meet at Quigley’s at MacDonagh Junction, a place he loved and where all the staff loved him.

John was loved by so many the length and breadth of this county he was so fond of. He even had lots of friends and relatives beyond the borders; he was particularly proud of his cousin the Cork City legend Stephen Napier.

One die-hard Tipperary supporter who will miss John is Trish Leahy of West Street; they both always had great banter between them, a lot of it through Facebook communication.

John had that constant beaming smile for everyone he met, whether in Callan, on the streets of Kilkenny, or at some hurling match or other. He would never have said a bad word about anyone - that was the quality of the man.

John was proud and determined, something his brother Jessie reminded everyone of in his eulogy at John’s funeral on Saturday.

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John carried his disability with dignity. Diagnosed with Spina Bifida days after he was born, the doctors told his parents, the late Kathleen and Paddy, that he would never walk.

John had different ideas, and at the age of seven he took his first steps; for John and his family it showed he had beaten the odds and continued that vein throughout his life.

John was passionate about sport, most especially hurling and soccer, but it was at snooker he really found his niche. He loved going to the CYMS in Callan to play snooker and got special treatment as being the only player allowed to place the white ball. He was a clever article and was able to manipulate the rules to suit JD.

But the John Lockes GAA club was his life. From an early age, he immersed himself in the club - he was in every dressing room. He experienced the high emotions and the lows but John never wavered; he was a team player all the way.

He was part of the team when juvenile hurling took off in the 1970s under the guidance of Harry Bryan, Father Dunne, Brother Jacob, Joe O’Dwyer, the late Pat ‘Diamond’ Hayden, Trish Leahy and the late Bernie O’Dwyer.

He was there again when most of those juvenile hurlers went on to win the minor and league titles in 1984 and took great pride in watching Bosco Bryan, John Power and Liam Egan wear the black and amber in the All-Ireland final that same year in Croke Park, unfortunately to be beaten in a replay at Semple Thurles by Limerick.

In 1987 the Lockes won the junior championship and the club bestowed the honour of the club’s greatest supporter upon John.

But 1993 provided John his greatest thrill as he watched the John Lockes lift the intermediate title to achieve senior status for the first time in over 30 years.

He got so excited that day watching his friend Kevin ‘Butty’ Coffey declared man of the match, while beside Butty at midfield was former Kilkenny star John Power.

John always maintained Power was the spine of that team, Butty always jokingly said he carried Power on his back that day.

In his eulogy at John’s funeral, Jessie paid tribute to Kevin and John, both of whom visited John in Waterford University Hospital and later Thomastown.

On one of Butty’s early visits, he brought his Man of the Match trophy from that 1993 final and gave it to John. It was a smashing gesture from one great gentleman to another.

Arsenal Football Club was his other passion. When others despaired of their performances John remained loyal down the years.

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His aunty Teresa Dawson, as he respectfully always called her, is a big Liverpool supporter and John loved the rivalry between both of them.

Now according to legend, John was also a great singer and loved following his uncle Mick Ryan as he played at different venues.

He would sit quietly with his glass of orange waiting for the nod from Mick to get up and sing; only trouble was, you couldn’t get him off the stage. JD was a bit of a diva.

In the past year he delighted in seeing his nephew Ryan and cousin Ollie lift the Minor Roinn B county title. A few short weeks ago he was delighted in seeing his niece Robyn win the Minor Roinn A camogie county title.

He was so proud of his clan, the Donovans and O’Donovans, who are very much part of Callan and loved the family get-togethers.

John always spoke of his parents with great love. The passing of his mother Kathleen 19 years ago was a sad time for him, but John had cemented his independence very much in Kilkenny City at that time and returned to the city to live with a heavy heart.

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However, he had great friends around him and the people of the Irish Wheelchair Association were always there to guide and help.

John celebrated his big 50th birthday in May 2020 at his home place in Mill Street with his dad; it was during the pandemic, so social distancing was being enforced.

It was a special day on Mill Street as the Callan Fire Services, the Gardaí, family, friends and John Lockes people all gathered at Mill Street to celebrate his birthday, while his sister Tracey presented him with a special John Lockes birthday cake.

Paddy’s passing a year later was a devastating blow to John. Paddy was a great father and even greater friend to John and was so proud of his older son and revelled in how independent he was.

The people of Kilkenny City cannot be forgotten either - from the top of John Street along High Street, Parliament Street to Irishtown, everyone knew John as he went about his traffic warden duties each Thursday and Friday.

He would travel down to the Parade and the market on a Thursday morning for a chat with John Byrne from Bennettsbridge, who is head of services on the Parade.

Of course the chat was always about hurling and there was always a laugh or two.

Only last Thursday morning, I met John Byrne on the Parade and while we were reminiscing about John, a number of people came to John Byrne to say how much he will be missed around the city.

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John loved Nowlan Park and living at MacDonagh Junction and later at Hebron Road. Tipping down to the Park was always a joy for him, he always got well looked after there.

It was fitting that a minute’s silence was observed before the county senior hurling quarter-final between Shamrocks and Thomastown last Sunday.

That minute’s silence was also observed at a number of venues over the weekend. That’s how highly the lad from Callan was respected.

From February until the end of August, John spent most of his time in hospital; this really interfered with his independence, and he strived to finally get back to his living accommodation.

He returned to a new apartment on the Kennyswell Road only weeks ago and was eager to get out and about and meet with as many people as possible. But sadly, that wasn’t to be.

To his brother Jessie, sisters Tracey and Siobhan, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and his large network of friends, sincere condolences.

John was one of a kind and there will never be anyone like him amongst us anymore. We will all miss him big time, but that Donovan Coffee Heads group will carry on and there will always be a place kept for him at the table in Quigley’s.

He now sits at the great table in the sky and for sure all his disabilities and recent illnesses have vanished and joins his mam Kathleen and dad Paddy at that joyous table. He will now walk tall.

Goodbye friend.

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