It all started with a few old garages built alongside housing at Leafair on the northern edge of Derry city in the 1970s.
With few residents in the highly-deprived area having need to park a car, they were largely just being used for storage when Peter McDonald approached the Housing Executive in the mid-1990s with an idea of leasing them out for community use.
Leafair Community Association moved in, and from those humble beginnings, the site now boasts an impressive 3g pitch, a well-being centre, a play park and allotments, providing much-needed recreation, employment and education opportunities for a large population.
Peter, long-time manager of the association, described in a video for the Housing Executive’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2022 how the building was now a thriving hub, open daily from 9am to 10pm.
“We cater for the whole community with a number of programmes that we run for both the youth and elderly in the area. Now we have 14 paid staff here and we created employment in an area that had high deprivation,” he said.
“We bring in young people to work on projects and we have 15 posters at the pitches of local sporting people who have achieved great things.
“When I moved here it was one of the roughest areas. I have been here a long time and we have a settled community here now and so many people have gone and bought their houses.”
Originally from the Creggan area of Derry, Peter ‘Duck’ McDonald moved to Leafair following his marriage to Julie, during a tumultuous time in the city’s history.
Fr Micheál McGavigan, delivering the homily at his funeral at St Brigid’s Church, Carnhill, said Peter worked tirelessly for the benefit of his community and demonstrated a great gift for bringing people together.
“He was a man who lived the gospel through his actions, always seeking to alleviate injustice, fight for the underdog, and care for the vulnerable,” he told mourners.
“He was a peacemaker, a diplomat, a problem solver, always reasonable, always level-headed. In the midst of the Troubles Peter was a protective force for his family and a beacon of hope for his community.”
The priest also spoke of his “immense” love for his family, including his children Ciara and Darren and five grandchildren.
He found joy in simple pleasures, whether it was a flutter on the horses or a night away in Kerrykeel, where he could hold court with anyone.
“He was a natural entertainer, he loved the limelight, but it was for him a chance to be with people and to bring joy to those around him.”
A lifelong republican and Sinn Féin activist, Peter was also chair of the Greater Shantallow Area Partnership and local politicians have paid tribute to his “trailblazing” community work.
Leafair Community Association said their “beloved and passionate leader” had without doubt “left an indelible mark in our community and in our hearts and has left a tremendous legacy in the work he has done”.
Fr McGavigan said he was a man who “simply wanted to make the world around him a better place”.
“He was a visionary ahead of his time, working tirelessly for a new and better Ireland. He believed in the possibility of change and helped usher it in with his cross-community support, his dedication to justice and his unwavering belief in the power of unity and community.”
He added: “Peter’s legacy one of love, justice and peace and it is up to us to continue his work in the communities and places we dwell.”
Peter McDonald died aged 64 on September 3 after a battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, children and family circle.
He was always seeking to alleviate injustice, fight for the underdog, and care for the vulnerable
— Fr Micheál McGavigan