Daniel Gubbins remembered in a very special way by family and friends at unveiling of memorial seat in Cahir sensory garden

Anybody who was fortunate enough to have been part of the daily life of Daniel Gubbins will always have a special place in their heart for an exceptional man who passed away two years ago at the age of twenty five.
Daniel was a musician , an advocate for people with disibalities and a fearless campaigner, roles he took on with great passion and enthusiasm despite the huge personal challenges he faced.
Daniel, from Thomastown, Bansha was only one of nine people in the world to be born with a very rare brain tumour which had to be removed shortly after birth which left him with severe physical and medical impairment for the rest of his life.
The people Daniel touched during his life came together earlier this month to remember Daniel at the Cahir Sensory Garden which was a special place for Daniel and one that will remain so forever to his family and friends.
The wonderful silence of the garden was often broken by Daniel and his great friends in the Cahir Men' s Shed when they would perform in concert to entertain people on their work lunch break .
"It might have just been a few songs and a chance to play music with friends before a few who found somewhere to sit down for their lunch but to Daniel it was always big gig and he loved every minute of it. He was a rock n roll star in his own mind," said his brother Shane.
The second anniversary of Daniel's death, on September 11, marked a very proud and emotional day for Shane, his mother Mags , his grandmother ninety one year old Nellie and other family members when they gathered in the sensory garden for "a lunch n roll" celebration of Daniel's life and to unveil a memorial seat that was created in Daniels honour.
It was lovingly made by Daniel's friends in Cahir Men's Shed.
Daniel was a much loved and valued member of the group.
"Today is as much for the community as it is for ourselves.It was the last place that Daniel performed his music before he died and coming back here today to mark his life is a very special day for us all.We always knew Daniel had a wide friends base -but its taken this long to only start to comprehend how much his passing effected people outside of our immediate circle. And so we thought it would nice to have a place for everyone, be they friends, family, colleagues or fans- to be able to visit in their own time. " said Shane.
Daniel brought in a guitar to one of his first meetings of the Men's Shed and started to teach the members to sing and play the guitar which led to the formation of the Men's Shed music group which have become regular performers in Cahir," said Shane.
Daniel had found a spiritual home and a great caring and fun loving relationship was enjoyed for years by all involved.
"They all really took to Daniel,no matter what was going on in their lives they were able to look at Daniel and Daniel despite all the challenges he had just blew them all away with how full of life he was" said Shane.
That relationship epitomised Daniel, he was an inspirational person who had an enormous impact on all who came into his life.
He defied all the odds by going on to live a busy life ,he was an award winning singer and loved singing Buddy Holly, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis songs.He became known as a strong voice for people with disabilities. He played an influential role in leading campaigns for the rights of the disabled,speaking at secondary schools throughout the country and was a persuasive force in getting people to think about issues that affected wheelchair users such as dog pooh and chewing gum waste on footpaths.
When he was very young Daniel,, went to London for treatment and experts from Hungary came and lived with the family for some time and the people of Golden,Cashel,Bansha,West Tipperary and all over Ireland responded generously to a fund raising campaign.
“He defied all the odds, Daniel was never supposed to smile, sing or show emotion.He was severely brain damaged.He went on to have a very busy life, he was very intelligent and articulate. He loved singing and he would talk the ear off you.The only thing he could not do is walk,” said his heartbroken younger brother Shane.
As the intensity of the great pain Daniel endured increased and as his condition deteriorated rapidly leading up to his death he was always optimistic.
"Even in those traumatic days he would talk about his great comeback Tipperary tour, that was Daniel, he always had hope" said Shane.
He came home to Thomastown to spend his final days.
"All his musician friends came for a farewell performance. Daniel sang his heart out, he gave the performance of his life singing his favourite songs, he gave absolutely everything just like he did for every day of his short life" said Shane.

Anybody who was fortunate enough to have been part of the daily life of Daniel Gubbins will always have a special place in their heart for an exceptional man who passed away two years ago at the age of twenty five.
Daniel was a musician , an advocate for people with disibilities and a fearless campaigner, roles he took on with great passion and enthusiasm despite the huge personal challenges he faced.
Daniel, from Thomastown, Bansha was only one of nine people in the world to be born with a very rare brain tumour which had to be removed shortly after birth which left him with severe physical and medical impairment for the rest of his life.
The people Daniel touched during his life came together earlier this month to remember Daniel at the Cahir Sensory Garden which was a special place for Daniel and one that will remain so forever to his family and friends.
The wonderful silence of the garden was often broken by Daniel and his great friends in the Cahir Men' s Shed when they would perform in concert to entertain people on their work lunch break .
"It might have just been a few songs and a chance to play music with friends before a few who found somewhere to sit down for their lunch but to Daniel it was always big gig and he loved every minute of it. He was a rock n roll star in his own mind," said his brother Shane.
The second anniversary of Daniel's death, on September 11, marked a very proud and emotional day for Shane, his mother Mags , his grandmother ninety one year old Nellie and other family members when they gathered in the sensory garden for "a lunch n roll" celebration of Daniel's life and to unveil a memorial seat that was created in Daniels honour.
It was lovingly made by Daniel's friends in Cahir Men's Shed.
Daniel was a much loved and valued member of the group.
"Today is as much for the community as it is for ourselves.It was the last place that Daniel performed his music before he died and coming back here today to mark his life is a very special day for us all.We always knew Daniel had a wide friends base -but its taken this long to only start to comprehend how much his passing effected people outside of our immediate circle. And so we thought it would nice to have a place for everyone, be they friends, family, colleagues or fans- to be able to visit in their own time. " said Shane.
Daniel brought in a guitar to one of his first meetings of the Men's Shed and started to teach the members to sing and play the guitar which led to the formation of the Men's Shed music group which have become regular performers in Cahir," said Shane.
Daniel had found a spiritual home and a great caring and fun loving relationship was enjoyed for years by all involved.
"They all really took to Daniel,no matter what was going on in their lives they were able to look at Daniel and Daniel despite all the challenges he had just blew them all away with how full of life he was" said Shane.
That relationship epitomised Daniel, he was an inspirational person who had an enormous impact on all who came into his life.
He defied all the odds by going on to live a busy life ,he was an award winning singer and loved singing Buddy Holly, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis songs.He became known as a strong voice for people with disabilities. He played an influential role in leading campaigns for the rights of the disabled,speaking at secondary schools throughout the country and was a persuasive force in getting people to think about issues that affected wheelchair users such as dog pooh and chewing gum waste on footpaths.
When he was very young Daniel,, went to London for treatment and experts from Hungary came and lived with the family for some time and the people of Golden,Cashel,Bansha,West Tipperary and all over Ireland responded generously to a fund raising campaign.
“He defied all the odds, Daniel was never supposed to smile, sing or show emotion.He was severely brain damaged.He went on to have a very busy life, he was very intelligent and articulate. He loved singing and he would talk the ear off you.The only thing he could not do is walk,” said his heartbroken younger brother Shane.
As the intensity of the great pain Daniel endured increased and as his condition deteriorated rapidly leading up to his death he was always optimistic.
"Even in those traumatic days he would talk about his great comeback Tipperary tour, that was Daniel, he always had hope" said Shane.
He came home to Thomastown to spend his final days.
"All his musician friends came for a farewell performance. Daniel sang his heart out, he gave the performance of his life singing his favourite songs, he gave absolutely everything just like he did for every day of his short life" said Shane.