Donal O'Sullivan of Castletownbere and Beara 'a massive loss to all who knew him'

The late Donal ‘Butcher’ O’Sullivan has been remembered as “a man who packed a lot into his life”, not least when it came to Castletownbere, Beara and Cork football.

Manager of the last Beara side to win the county SFC, in 1997, O’Sullivan also led the division to county minor glory in 2003 and U21 in 2006. He also managed the Cork minor team in 2014 and 2015 and served as chair of the Beara board.

Former county board PRO and outgoing Beara secretary Joe Blake says that O’Sullivan leaves a strong legacy.

“First of all, condolences to Aisling and the kids, Cormac and Niamh,” he said.

“They're going to feel the loss the greatest. His family has been steeped in football – his brother Miley was part of the 1967 Beara panel that won the county, then Martin was on the 1997 panel, and obviously Andrew, his nephew, was captain of Cork when they won the U21 All-Ireland in 2007.

“Donal was a man who had an iconic status down here - very few people in Cork have managed teams to win minor, U21 and senior county titles.

“You talk about people being glass half-full or half-empty – with Donal, the glass was always over-flowing with enthusiasm and positivity, what could be done, and it didn't matter if it was for Castletown or for Beara or for Cork, he was always full of positivity.

“There was no negativity in his life; he had an absolutely massive can-do attitude.

“He’d be most famously known for 1997 – they had leaders all over the field on that team, but he was the man who pulled it together.

“He had great selectors in Barry Murphy and Johnny Houlihan, but he was the general, he was the gaffer. I think he was ahead of his time in terms of his organisational skills; he looked out for so many of that team and for Beara people. He’ll be a massive loss to everybody in Beara who knew him and the greater football circle and the greater football community in Cork.”

A selector of the Cork minor side that reached the All-Ireland final in 2010, O’Sullivan was never found wanting when action was required.

“Even back in 2022, I remember taking a call from him and meeting himself and Barry Murphy in Ballincollig to discuss what could be done for Pádraig Crowley in the situation he found himself in,” Blake said.

“There was no feeling sorry, it was a case of Pádraig was in this scenario and we needed to help him – ‘This is the gameplan and this is what you're going to do.’

“He had a great way of getting people to do stuff - very few people would say no to Donal. He had a great way of bringing people together from all the clubs, especially in 1997. He was fighting on three fronts, effectively, because Castletownbere got to the intermediate final and the Beara U21s won the county that year as well.

“He had everybody training together and it was a case of whatever team was playing that week got priority.

“In the Beara final that year, Garnish beat Adrigole and, after the game, lads hopped into cars and went off and played a challenge game together for Beara!

“He was assistant manager at the Fisherman's Co-op and he was great for giving young fellas summer jobs and everything. He was great that way - he kept everybody around him on the straight and narrow.

“For the 25-year anniversary of 1997, in 2022, Donal made sure that they were the best togged-out team.

“He got ill at the start the year and it was a great shock for everybody. He didn't have too many years of retirement but he packed a lot into his life.”