Tributes paid to the late Br. Timothy O’Shea
The District of Ireland, Great Britain and Malta is mourning the loss of Br. Timothy O’Shea who passed away on Tuesday December 6th.
Br Tim spent most of his life in De La Salle College Waterford, where he touched many hearts, through a variety of roles, before spending the past five months in Miguel House, He was a hugely popular figure and his presence will be sorely missed.
The funeral Mass can be viewed at https://fb.watch/hqM049TgZl/
At his funeral service on Wednesday December 12th, Br. Tommy Walsh delivered the following eulogy.
Good afternoon everyone and may I welcome you all here today to Castletown to celebrate the life of Br Timothy (Pat) O Shea. We welcome everyone here present and all those following on line. Our deepest sympathy to you all. A huge welcome to all Br Tim’s extended family, to Agnes his sister in New York, who can’t be with us in person but following us online, his sisters-in-law, his nephews and nieces, grandnephews, grandnieces, cousins, his neighbours and friends who have travelled from near and far to be here today.
A special welcome to all Br Tim’s Lasallian Family, his community in Waterford, the present teaching staff and ancillary staff of De La Salle College Waterford, former teachers, workers, members of boards of managements, the De La Salle GAA Club, present pupils and past-pupils, parishioners and many true friends of Br Tim. We welcome Teresa and Br Martin and all the staff and community of Miguel House who have loved and cared for Br Timothy over the last five months.
Pat O Shea was born on the 25/02/1931 the third born of seven children to Jeremiah and Brigid O Shea. Pat attended the local primary school in Lauragh, Tuosist, Co Kerry. Brother Peadar Lynch the De La Salle recruiter visited Lauragh primary school and spoke with the senior students about the life of a Brother and Pat put his name forward that he was interested in joining the Order. Pat’s master was a former trainee of the De La Salle Teacher Training College Waterford and probably encouraged Pat to join. Br Peadar visited Pat and his family and it was arranged that Pat would go to the De La Salle juniorate in Castletown in September 1944. Receiving the habit in 1946 Pat O Shea would be known as Br Timothy for the rest of his life.
Three years in Castletown and Br Tim moved to De la Salle Waterford and completed his primary teaching degree. One of his first postings was St Declan’s in Waterford which he loved and was involved in all sports and he won the prestigious Waterford Corporation Scholarship Award with his students which he was very proud of.
In 1958 Tim was transferred to East London in South Africa, he often spoke about his three weeks journey from Southampton to Cape Town and on to Port Elizabeth and finally reach East London. He wasn’t too happy with the change to the “Dark Continent” as he often referred to it and this was borne out in his story about a local teacher who met him by the pool one day shortly after arriving there. She nicely attacked him and said. “You are the new Brother here....we are not perfect...you are stuck here with us.....get rid of the long face....get stuck in and you will enjoy it here.” Tim says she rattled him, he took her advice and they became brilliant friends and they wrote lengthy letters to each other for years until her death. Tim said that the return leg home by boat from South Africa was a carnival. I never found out what he meant.
In East London Tim taught various subjects and excelled at taking rugby, where some of his squad players reached state and national level. He loved swimming and accompanied students to swimming galas and won awards. His great love and passion was Cricket which he managed and on several occasions was sought out to umpire important local rivalries and call it properly. Tim often mentioned the terms like “silly-mid-on, the night-watch-man, duck, paddle and the edge.” It must be some game Cricket.
On returning to Ireland in 1964 Tim was posted to De La Salle College Waterford to become Bursar, looking after all the finances of the College. Tim knew every boarder, their backgrounds, their financial situations, everything possible was provided for them especially good food, to make their lives in DLS as perfect as possible. Some boarders that fell into financial difficulties were quietly catered for and lacked for nothing. Tim looked after the Teachers especially the newly appointed teachers. He would sit them down, get them registered with the Dept of Education, discuss their taxes, help with accommodation where necessary and advanced them money to survive away from home until their first pay cheques arrived and reimburse Br Tim. All teachers appreciated his fatherly approach and care and felt they could approach him about anything.
The college could not survive without a dedicated, loyal and committed Ancillary staff and Tim made sure that the secretaries, the care-takers, the cooks and all the domestic staff were genuinely looked after while they worked in the college. Many gave thirty, forty and even fifty years dedicated service to De La Salle College, certainly a mark of respect to Br Timothy. He even brought in two different orders of Sisters to make sure standards were upheld at all times. Christmas was a special time for Br Tim to show his great respect for the ancillary staff by giving them a wonderful party and a little present and a financial bonus where possible.
Tim looked after the College Archives and loved when families called in or rang about their relatives who were trained in the De La Salle Teacher Training College from 1890 onwards or were former boarders or students here from 1949 to the present day. Tim would love the challenge, find the information, produce the evidence and forwarded the lot with an accompanying hand written letter and photo at no expense. Many appreciative letters were written to acknowledge the information received and the extent to which Br Tim had gone.
Tim was very involved with the past pupils especially the 49’s and had numerous meeting with them for various initiatives in the College down through the years. He lost count of the number of Year Group reunions that he attended and the first name on the invites would be Br Timothy. Tim really appreciated the loyalty and contribution of the past pupils over the years towards the college.
There was a programme on TV called “Jim will fix it” in the case of the college it was “Tim will Fix it” he was armed with a phase tester, a hammer, a pinchers, various screw drivers, a biscuit box of screws, nails, washers and bolts, no job was too big, electricity was his speciality and he loved repairing door locks, fixing them and recycling them for the next door. That made him happy. He claimed he never broke a key.
During his fifty-eight years in the college Br Tim oversaw or supervised the building of the College Sports hall in 1974 when schools had no halls. That hall has served the College and many outside groups up to the present day. He saw the conversion of the dormitories into classrooms on the top two floors when the boarding finished. The D floor was added to the extension and all the outside science laboratories were revamped. One of his greatest achievements was purchasing Roches Street from the Waterford Corporation and turning it into the present car park for the College. Tim said it was the only night he sang with gusto “The Rose Of Tralee” when he heard the corporation had signed and handed the property over to the college.
Tim and others ran the College Tuck Shop for years selling, sweets, minerals, crisps, ice-creams, text books, uniforms and even cigarettes until they were outlawed in schools. All the profits from the Tuck Show was pumped back into the College and used for repairs, games, and extra-curricular activities and managers and team trainers lacked nothing, whatever was needed was provided. The Tuck Shop was extremely generous to our Lasallian Projects and other needy causes.
Tim was extremely happy when the College excelled at sports and extra-curricular activities and cherished wins in all sports especially in soccer, basketball, the College choir, athletics, Gaelic football, tennis the school show etc but I think pride of place was reserved for the winning of the Harty Cup in hurling and the All-Ireland in 2007 and 2008. After years of pain and near misses to finally win it was really special for Tim and the entire college. Tim really cherished and celebrated those Harty wins. We hope they can win a few more of them in the future.
Tim was a very proud Kerry man and his office was decorated with past Kerry glories in football and a framed Sigerson Clifford’s poem “I am Kerry” adored his office wall. He loved Kenmare and was delighted to have visited it on a few occasions and actually visited the old homestead which brought back many great memories. He spoke passionately about his trips to Dallas, New York, London to visit his family there and I had the pleasure to bring him to Dunmanway and to Clondalkin to visit his family there. Family was so important to Tim and he kept in touch through, visits while he was able to then, letters, phone calls, texts, Christmas cards and zoom calls. To see his sister Agnes and speak with her through zoom was a special treat for him. Tim was extremely proud of his family and loved to see them visit.
Tim was a pleasure to live with, he led by example, a real community man, full of life and energy. He would do anything for the community. A brilliant religious, faithful to prayer, he loved to recite the rosary, the daily office, and attend Mass. In latter years when he couldn’t walk over to St Benildus for Mass he arranged for staff members to bring him over and the parishioners were fighting over him as to who would be allowed bring him back. His little booklet on the Stations of the Cross was well worn from constant use. In his final years life became his prayer and prayer became his life. I have to say it was an absolute honour and pleasure to have known and lived with Br Timothy and I had the pleasure to look after his needs directly over the last two years. His passing has left a huge void in all our lives.
I would like to thank Teresa and Br Martin in Miguel, to Fr Joe, Dr. Robbie Butler, the nurses, the care staff, the ancillary staff and the community in Miguel for their care and love shown to Br Timothy over the last five months in Miguel House. Tim remarked to me one day “It’s like Heaven.” Also our sincere thanks to all in Portlaoise Hospital, to the consultants, the doctors, the nurses, the care staff and palliative care staff who looked after Tim in his final hours we shall be forever grateful to them.
We thank everyone for being present here today, those who have travelled from near and far for this requiem Mass and those who have joined us on line. We thank everyone for their support and words of sympathy in person and on various platforms. I hope that when the dust settles we can create a lasting memory in De La Salle College to the Legacy that Br Timothy (Pat) O Shea has left us.
God bless Br Timothy (Pat) thank you for everything. Safe home we shall certainly meet again.
Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.