Patrick Cullen died in Wexford yesterday.
He was born in
Before joining the Irish Dominicans Paddy studied marine engineering in Cork. On qualifying, his one and only maritime experience was to Malta. He was on the high seas for six weeks but realised he had no sea legs. He was sick every day at sea.
While studying in Cork he regularly cycled home to Garrylough, a journey that he did in six to seven hours.
One can presume Paddy got to know the Dominicans in St Mary’s Pope’s Quay while he was studying in the city
When he joined the Dominican noviciate he was given the name Francis but was known in the Order as Frankie.
Paddy was perceived as a spiritual and devout person. His fellow Dominicans were surprised when he decided to leave the Order and priesthood.
Fadó fadó Dominican students went on long cycling and walking adventures. On one such occasion Paddy fell off his bicycle as a result of having fainted. It transpired that he had been fasting the previous days. Paddy was recognised as an ascetic.
After priestly ordination he studied astronomy at the Dunsink Observatory at the request of the then provincial, Fr Louis Coffey.
It must have been 1969/1970 when I first met Frankie. He was heading off from Tallaght to Dunsink on his Honda 50. It would be another 50 years before we met again.
I can vividly remember that day in Tallaght. In the few short minutes we were chatting I felt I was in the presence of a special person. It was the briefest of encounters.
On leaving the Order Paddy studied chemistry at UCD and spent the rest of his working life lecturing in the subject at Kevin Street College. Some time after retiring, the college authorities asked him to come back to lecture on a part time basis, something that he readily did.
During his years as a student at UCD he travelled to the United States to take summer work. On one occasion he went with a number of fellow students. The plan was to work on the buses in Chicago but it so happened that that summer there was a bus strike and Paddy ended up working on the buildings.
All his life Paddy had a great interest in nature. While working in Kevin Street he would regularly be seen in the nearby park feeding the birds and the birds always knew when Paddy was arriving with his food for them. He was known by staff and students, and people in the locality as the Birdman
He used a humane trap to catch mice. On one occasion he called to the local hardware store to enquire where there was any place he could release mice into the wild. The man behind the counter suggested he should let them free on the 46A bus.
It was in 2019 that I met an elderly man. He was looking for his Rosary Beads, which I happened to find for him. I was surprised when he knew something about me. He told me his name was Paddy Cullen. At first it meant nothing to me. Maybe it was a day or so later that someone told me he was Frankie Cullen, who had been a Dominican. The Frankie Cullen, I met 50 years ago on a Monday 50 in Tallaght.
Though his mind was ever so slightly beginning to fail he came alive when he spoke about the Dominicans. He recalled his time studying astronomy. While he enjoyed the subject he thought it was daft that he had been sent off to study the science. He felt extremely lonely and isolated during those years. He never spoke to me about why he left the Dominicans but if he were given half a chance I got the distinct impression that it would have been his life’s ambition fulfilled to rejoin.
When you have the special grace to meet a genuinely holy person, a gracious and fine human being, you realise it almost instantly. So was my experience with Paddy Francis Cullen.
Paddy's nephew, James Cullen is a priest of the Diocese of Ferns
Paddy is brother of Betty Roche and Stephen and the late Tom and Eamon, and son of the late Tom and Nellie.
Paddy’s body will be lying in state at Knockeen Nursing Home, Barntown Y35CY80 today, April 22 from 4pm to 6pm. Removal at 6.30pm to St Cyprian's Church, Screen for arrival at 7pm. Funeral Mass tomorrow, Tuesday at midday followed by burial in Curracloe cemetery.
May he rest in peace.
1 comment:
Good morning and greetings to you from London. This morning I read your piece about Paddy "Frankie” Cullen, whom I knew very well. Thank you and congratulations on painting such an interesting pen picture of Frankie.
There is no doubt at all that he was a most talented individual and often spent hours in the machine room in Tallaght undertaking some kind of metal work at which he was most skilled. Yes, you are correct we did know that he was an immensely spiritual individual. Thank you for putting your thoughts into print for all of us to read.
Slán agus beannacht
Edward Walsh
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