Fundraiser launched to help grieving family of Irish man
Barry 'Duke' Breslin with Melissa Taheny and their son Tommy.
A fundraiser has been launched to help a grieving young Waterford mother and her child after the tragic death of her partner.
On October 3, Barry 'Duke' Breslin died in a workplace-related accident in Perth, Australia.
He was originally from Donegal and had moved to Perth in 2011.
According to Australian media reports, Barry suffered a head injury while working on a roadworks site and was rushed to hospital, where he passed away.
He leaves behind his fiancée Melissa Taheny and their three-year-old son Tommy.
The GoFundMe page describes Barry as a caring family man with a great sense of humour.
"He was always up for a laugh, whether it be greasing the door handles of a digger, giving yoghurt as sunscreen or being there to celebrate with his family and friends. Duke was one in a million. He was a family man at heart and a loyal friend to many around him, he will be sadly missed but not forgotten.”
His former GAA club posted their sorrow: "CLG Chill Chartha would like to express our sincerest condolences to Barry’s fiancée Melissa, his son Tommy, his parents Seamus and Mary, to his brothers Owen and Shane and to all his family and his many, many friends.
“It was a great shock to us all when the news reached us this morning of the untimely passing of Barry in Australia."
Helping to raise awareness of the fundraiser is Waterford Deputy Mayor, Cllr Adam Wyse, who has a personal connection with the tragedy.
He wrote on Meta: "My partner Megan’s older sister, Melissa, who lives in Australia, tragically lost her fiancé, Barry Breslin, in a workplace accident. They have a young three-year-old son named Tommy. This GoFundMe has been set up to support their family during this difficult time.
"Barry was a wonderful father, partner, and friend to many. If you could please share the link or donate, it would be greatly appreciated."
Donations can be made on GoFundMe.com.
The fundraiser had raised over $655,000 Australian dollars (just over €404,000) at the time of writing.
