Sadness at passing of Br. David O’Riordan

There was great sadness throughout the District and in the wider Lasallian family following the death of Br. David O’Riordan. Br David, a native of Co Limerick, passed away at Miguel House on Sunday October 2nd at the age of 92.

A native of Feohanagh, he was a proud Limerick man to the very end of his long life. He spent just 50 years of his long life working in Belfast where he was held in high regard before moving to Castletown, Co Laois where he was Director of Miguel House, the nursing home for De La Salle Brothers, for almost twenty years.

He suffered a stroke a few months ago which restricted his movement considerably though he never lost his ability to speak, and his love of life, but it was his inability to swallow which proved to be his greatest challenge and disability and which affected his quality of life in the end.

In his eulogy delivered during Brother David’s funeral Mass, Brother Joe Reid said: "Br David devoted almost all his active life to the service of young people in St. Patrick’s Training School on the Glen Road Belfast. He was a dedicated and caring man who went about his job in a most conscientious manner during long years of service there. This was all the more demanding during the civil unrest which plagued West Belfast in particular in the 1970’s – 2000.

David never lost his love for Limerick and was a man of the soil up to the end of his life. He had a great passion for horses and delighted in the many successes of the great Irish jockeys and trainers - he even kept a couple of horses himself and eventually gave them away to worthy causes when he could no longer devote the care and attention they required.

He will be greatly missed by his De La Salle confreres, the staff in Miguel House nursing home, Castletown, Co Laois, his family connections in Limerick and his many acquaintances all over Ireland. There will be a memorial Mass in his native St Mary’s Church, Appletown, Feohanagh, (Eircode V42 KX99) on Friday, 18 November at 7.30pm. All welcome.

His funeral Mass was held on Wednesday October 5th at which Br. Joe Reid delivered the eulogy below.

Brother David O’Riordan FSC, 1930-2022

David O’Riordan son of Daniel and Catherine Mullane was born on 28 July 1930 at Appletown, Feohanagh, Co Limerick He was the youngest of eight children - Paddy, Garry, Timmie, Sean, Moss, Eileen and Chris.

An aunt Margaret also lived with them. Having been born on a farm he had a keen interest in farming all his life. He walked to Primary school to Feohanagh along with his neighbours. He was an altar server in St. Mary's Church in the early 1940s. He never lost contact with his native place and loved to visit friends and neighbours when on holiday: needless to mention it was often a working holiday.

David entered the Juniorate on 9 September 1943 and the Senior Novitiate on 7 July 1946. He kept the name David and was known as Brother David Edwin. David made perpetual vows after the retreat held at Waterford on 3 August 1955 along with Brother Kilian O’Sullivan. In 1950 Br David was assigned to St Patrick’s Training School, then in Milltown on the Falls Road, Belfast. Conditions back then were somewhat primitive to say the least.

This remained his working apostolate until the Diocese of Down & Connor procured a new site on the Glen Road and a new purpose-built school to house the children sent there through the courts. That it also had quite an extensive farm attached was probably a great bonus for Br David at the time. He loved to roam through the fields and look at the cattle and keep a close contact with the farm manager throughout his time in Glen Road.

I came to know Br David as a student attending St Joseph’s College of Education, Belfast in 1972. I was assigned to the community of the Brothers at St Patrick’s Training School Belfast. In 1972.

Brother David was then the headmaster of the Senior Training School in charge of boys over the age of sixteen years. This was a large part of the Training School and the students learned practical trade skills in a wide range of subjects preparing them for work in the world post Training School.

It was a time when the troubles had greatly impacted on life in Northern Ireland and many who would never have been assigned to Training School in normal circumstances found their way to St Patricks’ as a result of involvement in the troubles of that time. Brother David treated everyone with the greatest respect and insured that they received the best formation the school could afford them at the time.

He told me that when it came to picking boys to go to summer camp in North Antrim that it was by invitation only. He expected the boys to be on their best behaviour and those that met the criteria were rewarded with a holiday to the summer camp at Kilmore, Ballinlig, Waterfoot, Co Antrim. David was gentle, respectful, and firm when dealing with his charges always.

When asked about his experiences by a judge: Br David paused for a moment and then spoke these words, “If I had a choice of career today, I would spend every moment of it in St Patrick’s Training School”

Br David was one of a number of Brothers and lay staff who protected and provided genuine care for young boys who would otherwise have gone totally astray in life.

Br Francis Manning.

Br Ailbe has the following to say about David:

Br David devoted almost all his active life to the service of young people in St. Patrick’s Training School on the Glen Road Belfast. He was a dedicated and caring man who went about his job in a most conscientious manner during long years of service there. This was all the more demanding during the civil unrest which plagued West Belfast in particular in the 1970s – 2000.

David became the director of the community in my second year as a student of the College of Education, Trench House, when Brother Albert Tierney decided to return to Kircubbin rather than remain at the Training School. That happened in 1973 and Brother David remained Director of the community for the remaining years that the Brothers were at St Patrick’s Training School. He managed to combine this role with his appointment to Principal of the institution later on.

On this Br Ailbe had this to say: He was always well respected and thought of by all members of staff from the groundsman to the principal of the school. During his tenure as Director/Principal of the Training School David was always diplomatic and business-like in dealing with those in authority.

Brother David was director of the community when I graduated from St Joseph’s College of Education in 1976. He made a big impression on my parents who had never been to Belfast previous to this event. He accompanied us to the graduation ceremony at Queens’ College, Belfast and enabled us to take our places in the Whittla Hall for the graduation ceremony. My father for years after would always inquire as how Brother David was keeping.

After I graduated from college I kept in touch with Br David as he, Br Ben Hanlon, Br Pat Kelly RIP and I formed a group of pilgrims going to Lough Derg on a couple of occasions and also to Croagh Patrick once. We had committed to making the pilgrimage to Loug Derg three times but with the untimely death of Br Pat Kelly it was not to be for the third time. Even though the experiences were tough it was a delight to be in the company of David on those special occasions. It was very evident to me then and to everyone that David was a deeply religious person. His love of God was manifested in everything that he did and spoke.

Br David was asked to be the director of the community at Miguel House in the 2000. It was a big wrench from Northern Ireland where he had spent the previous fifty years of his life in Belfast, forty-seven of them at St Patrick’s Training School. He was to remain a director from the time he was first appointed in 1973 to 2018. He made friends with everyone who came to know him, and he remained a true friend ever after.

David had a special love of horses and the walls of his room and office bore testimony to the fact. Indeed, many people from around Castletown and beyond had the privilege in sharing David’s love of the horses and he kept some animals at Jackdaws Castle where he would go daily to feed and water them and often loaned them to neighbours when children showed an interest in riding them.

When I arrived at Miguel in late 2003 he had charge of a horse from the Garda that had been chosen to be a horse for crowd control. The Garda asked Br David to take care of the animal as they were not sure that it would the right material for their use. When it was returned to them it did indeed make the grade. While he loved horses and sometimes went to race meetings, my brother Mick told me that he had few tips for betting on the horses. David’s interest didn’t extend to betting. Mick married a next-door neighbour to David’s brother Gary and his daughter Nora. David’s family and the Fitzgibbon family were near and very dear neighbours.

Of his love of horses Br Ailbe had this to say:

‘David’s great hobby was from an early age was caring for horses and especially in his younger years riding around the fields, and if not a day at the races or an enjoyable afternoon at the Balmoral show. He also enjoyed a good round of golf now and then’.

As director of the Miguel community Br David had to attend to the needs of the Brothers including visiting those who were in hospital. This he did without fail always and never let a week go by without paying a visit whether it be to Portlaoise, Tullamore or farther afield. He would rely on me to do the driving on these occasions and the number of trips were countless.

He also got to know a huge number of people in and around Castletown including Miguel staff and would frequently pay visits whenever any were sick. The number of wakes and funerals that he attended down the years in the area were equally countless. His comment to me always after a prayer for a safe journey was that it “was great to be chauffeured”. And he would always add that when he prayed for a safe journey, he had every confidence in the driver, but you could not be sure about the other one on the road.

He also did the weekly shopping at the cash and carry in Portlaoise and knew exactly where to find the items on the list. It was made easier for him eventually in that the staff there would load up the shopping on a trolly that was phoned/emailed in ahead of being picked up, so he only had to check the items ahead of paying the bill.

When I moved to India after spending just over a year at Miguel House, Br David would write regularly in his own hand keeping me up to date with news about Miguel and affairs generally. I felt it a privilege always to receive a letter every few months from one who would spend a lot of time putting it together as his ability to write had slowed down as he grew older. The news from David inevitably told of the passing of most of the Brothers resident in Miguel when I went there in Dec 2003. Also, he kept me informed of the people in and around Castletown that he knew that had passed away. The list was long.

Everyone who knew David have their own memories of him. Br Damien remembered him as was “his insistence on attending the funerals of family members of our Brothers. He would request a Brother who could drive to bring him to the funeral and distance was no obstacle.

Then when he met members of the family, he was so welcoming and open with them as if he had known them all his life. What a thoughtful and generous and religious, was Br David.

Br Daniel just returned from Ethiopia recounted that when David travelled to meetings in England as he often did in relation to the care of our nursing homes that he would set of the alarms at security check-in because of the amount of metal on his person. It may have worried others but never David.

Br Ben Hanlon sent a message stating “So sorry, Ben, to read of the death of Davy Riordan.

“He was a rock of assurance every time we visited Miguel. We were particularly grateful for his taking care of the Brothers accepted in Miguel from the former Penang District and more recently from LEAD. To all the Brothers and to his family and relatives we offer our sincere sympathies. Pat (Tierney)

It came as quite a shock to learn that Br David suffered a stroke six months ago. He was sent to Kilkenny hospital for treatment. It was sad to observe that the hospital staff in the acute stroke ward had to moisten his lips as he lost the ability to swallow. He showed deep gratitude to me and I’m sure to everyone who visited him while there.

Visiting was strictly curtailed and only one person each day was allowed in. Nora did tremendous work in organising people to visit him when she did not go herself. She received the support of Miguel staff in her effort the Brothers could not be more grateful for the help the staff there devoted to Br David.

So severe was the stroke that David was put on a drip and later on had a food tube connected. These kept him alive but only just. He told me that he was resigned to his condition and that he did not see that there would be any improvement. He was blessed with a crystal-clear mind and was able to converse with everyone who visited him. Nora said that on her last visit she asked him to join with her in saying the Rosary. David answered every decade of the prayer in a clear voice. David did not get the chance to tell me that he was very upset to learn of Br Stephen’s accident while on holiday in Sligo. They were inseparable friends and shared a love of all news of north issues as well as reading the Irish News.

The Brothers are ever so grateful to the staff at Miguel for the way they supported and looked after Br David in his final days. They are also grateful to the hospital staffs at Kilkenny and Portlaoise and to the doctors who tried their best to make him comfortable throughout his sickness. I have no doubt but that he would echo everything I say here.

May his gentle soul rest in peace. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal, dílis.

Sadness at passing of Br. David O’Riordan

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