A FATHER-OF-TWO who died in a freak fall at his west Belfast home has been described as an "absolute gentleman who idolised his children".
Darren Kennedy (43), from Kerrykeel Gardens, fell while walking out of a conservatory door at his house on Friday.
His tragic death has left his family, friends and local community heartbroken with hundreds of tributes paid to Mr Kennedy.
Known to many as 'Darso', he was a doting father to his children Hannah (17) and Darach (7) and worked for NI Water.
He was a coach with west Belfast football club, St Oliver Plunkett, which has paid tribute to a "brilliant role-model" for their young players.
Barry Lowe, who coached alongside Mr Kennedy in the 2012 year group, said the club were "absolutely gutted" by his death.
"Darren's son started mini soccer when he was four and his parents Darren and Orla were always on the sidelines, bringing him to every single training session and match - rain, hail or shine," he said.
"I approached him about a year ago to ask him if he would get involved with coaching, he said he didn't know much about coaching, but our club is very good at helping train people, so he said yes.
"He was brilliant from then on, the kids loved him, he took to it like a duck to water. He was always the first to volunteer to do things or offer help, he was a brilliant role-model.
"You could see the way he watched Darach and every time Darach scored, the first person he looked at was his daddy."
Mr Lowe said the club were devastated by Mr Kennedy's death.
"It's just heartbreaking, he was an absolute gentleman who idolised his children," he said.
"There's been so many messages from people, so many said he was outstanding person.
"He always took pride in what he did, he was due to do his IFA level one in March, but the dates didn't suit and he was doing it in October.
"He was very meticulous, he will be missed not just by the coaches, but the kids too.
"We're absolutely gutted, but we'll rally round Darach and try to help with that father-figure, we'll make sure he gets lifts to matches and do all we can to support him and the family."
St Oliver Plunkett Primary School, where Mr Kennedy's son is a pupil, also paid a heartfelt tribute to him.
"It is with that sense of hopelessness and sadness that I let you know as a school community that one of our dads has sadly passed away as the result of a tragic fall," a statement said.
"The loss of anyone, at any time irrespective of the circumstances is heart-breaking but to lose someone so young to such an innocuous accident is even more tragic.
"To have that loss further compounded by the current situation only adds to the grief.
"Darren Kennedy was the father of Darach in Year Three and Hannah one of our past pupils. At times like these words simply fail me, they fail us all.
"How do we express our sorrow to Darren’s children, his family and his friends? We cannot, but all that we can do is to be there to find a way to let them know that they are all in our thoughts and prayers."
Other tributes posted online described Mr Kennedy as a "cracking lad....wouldn’t harm a fly. One of those salt of the earth guys that wouldn’t pass you in the street without saying hello", while another said he was a "one off and a gentleman".
