A much-loved character who lost his life in a devastating fire that engulfed his home at Christmas is to be fondly remembered by friends and neighbours in a special book they plan to compile and publish.
Johnny ‘The Rock’ O’Brien was a legendary personality in his native Glenflesk where he had a small farm holding and tended to his flock of sheep and his beloved horses on a daily basis.
A bachelor who lived alone, he died in a fire that gutted his two-storey home – at the side of the main Killarney to Glenflesk road – either on Christmas night or in the early hours of St Stephen’s Day.
His passing, particularly in such tragic circumstances, stunned and saddened the entire parish and beyond and it soon emerged that everybody had their own favourite story about or memory of the colourful Johnny.
Now a friend of his, Lucy Chisholm Greenfield, wants to harness those memories by publishing a small remembrance book in his honour.
“The idea is to gather stories and anecdotes from as wide a group of Johnny’s friends and neighbours as possible and combine them with as many photos as possible,” she said.
Professional photographer Valerie O’Sullivan, who captured some wonderful images of Johnny over the years, has agreed to make them available and Lucy has asked anybody else with any memories or photographs to get in touch.
She is also looking for some information about Johnny’s life, his school days and his family and anybody that can help in that regard is encouraged to get in contact.
Lucy said she will cover the costs involved in the publication of the book and, while the price will be kept as low as possible, proceeds from any copies sold will go to two charities that Johnny had intended to raise funds for by walking to the summit of The Paps mountains on St Stephen’s Day.
“The walk went ahead in the snow but without Johnny and with heavy hearts,” said Lucy.
She said Johnny ‘The Rock’ was loved by everyone, even random motorists who honked their horns in salutation when they passed Johnny, in his trademark Stetson, on the main road bringing a wheelbarrow full of hay to his animals.
“You need only look at the condolences on the RIP.ie website to see that Johnny was loved and cherished the length and breadth of Ireland. Johnny’s funeral was the biggest anyone in Glenflesk can ever remember,” Lucy said.
At Johnny’s Requiem Mass in St Aghatha’s Church in Glenflesk last December, his brother-in-law, Thomas, told the congregation that Johnny loved the old ways of doing things and he had a great love for animals throughout his life.
“Johnny O’Brien was everybody’s friend. He was happy the way he lived his life. He had a great love for the mountains. Johnny O’Brien, man of the mountains, rest in peace,” Thomas said.
Parish Priest, Fr Jim Lenihan, remarked: “Johnny loved people. He loved his family. He loved his neighbours and they loved him”.
He added: “If a neighbour was ever in trouble, Johnny was always the first to be there. He would dedicate his whole night looking for animals, working right to the very end to help his friends.”
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