Leo was always the instantly recognisable modern man, the anti-hero who made an unforgettable impression on those with whom he came into contact. The modern touch was evident in his talk of aeroplanes, boats, cars, tank manoeuvres, jeeps and engines and his pride in the 69 Triumph Herald convertible, with its white rubber buffers and racing green livery; in his dress, a penchant for khaki fatigues, polo necks, Desert Fox caps, metal framed sunglasses and a wrist watch that seemed forever set on Arkara; in the accent with vowels and pauses clipped by travel and foreign contact; and in the alluring mixture of the cold war airman and the north Meath storyteller that he brought to any number of locations. Among those Doheny and Nesbitts became the common room of a multi-strand school of culture and comment of which he was the undisputed dean. Sadly, we have lost our dean, our story teller and raconteur. Irish Archaeology has lost its greatest character, tales of who's escapades will deservedly out live the lot of us.

Patrick F.Wallace
National Museum of Ireland
(Introduction to Above and Beyond. Essays in Memory of Leo Swan, T.Condit & C.Corlett (eds) 2005)