Seósamh Laurence Collins OP (1939 - 2024) - an obituary

Seósamh Laurence Collins died

in Tallaght University Hospital in the early hours of Monday morning, January 22.

Larry, as he was known in the Order, was born on December 18, 1939 in County Galway and spent his early years on the north side of Dublin. He attended Newbridge College as a boarder from where he joined the Dominican Order in 1957. On receiving the habit the young Seósamh was given the name Laurence. He made first profession in September 1958 and was ordained a priest in Clonliffe by Archbishop McQuaid on July 12, 1964.

He did post graduate studies in theology at the University of St Thomas in Rome, where he also obtained a doctorate in Canon Law.

On returning from Rome he was assigned to St Mary’s Priory, Tallaght, where he was on the teaching staff for a number of years. Larry worked in the marriage tribunal of the Archdiocese of Dublin from 1968 to 1992.

He succeeded Antoninus Delaney as student master in the 1970s and remained in the job until the early '80s

During his years in Tallaght Larry was a constant on the football field, where he was a force with whom to be reckoned. As a pupil in Newbridge College he played rugby and indeed, while in Rome badly damaged his shoulder, playing with the Irish College in a game against an Aer Lingus squad.

Larry was close to being a fanatical follower of the Dublin senior GAA team. He and the late Andrew Kane spent hours discussing the finer points of the strategy of the Dublin team. On one occasion during the run of Dublin All Ireland wins I suggested to him that it would be good for the game if Dublin were beaten. He was having none of it and actually got annoyed with me.

In the summer months he seldom if ever missed swimming in the outdoor pool in Tallaght, which has long disappeared and is now but a memory. Later, when prior in Newbridge, he’d swim in cold days in the Liffey. It was a hop step and jump from the main door of the priory. He was sea swimming up to three years ago, usually at the Forty Foot.

He was never without a bicycle. When in Tallaght as a younger man his main transport to and from the city was his bicycle. Approximately two years ago he bought an electric bicycle. It was a bad buy. He bought the wrong one. Within days of using it he fell off it. An electric bicycle is not the easiest of machines for an 80-year old person to handle. And that particular model was cheap with the centre of gravity in the wrong place. Larry never cycled again and kindly gave me the bicycle. That fall greatly added to his pain and suffering at the time.

He held many positions of leadership in the province. He was prior in St Mary’s, Tallaght; St Eustace, Newbridge and was provincial of the province between 1992 and 2000. Larry was also a member of many boards, including those of schools

He was a Gaeilgeoir and on the board of the gaelscoil in Tallaght.

When Damian Byrne was elected master of the Order in Rome in September 1983 he turned to Larry asking him if he could borrow his habit. Larry duly obliged. There may well have been much symbolism for both men in that handover.

Larry was provincial at a difficult time in the province and in Ireland. He had to deal with much of the fallout concerning the scandal of child clerical sex abuse, which meant he was directly involved with a number of Irish Dominicans, who had been found guilty of crimes and he also had to deal with those men, who had allegedly committed crimes, but were never in front of an Irish Court. 

After a short break, on completion of his time as provincial, Larry moved to St Dominic’s parish in Tallaght in 2001 where he remained as administrator until late last year. In many ways he flourished there and became a friend and supporter to so many in the parish.

Larry was my student master, prior and provincial. During his time as provincial he visited me one day at the Kerryman office to inform me of matters concerning an incident of child sexual abuse in the province that was about to come to court. Earlier in the day he had visited the priory in Tralee to inform the community. He was upset and tired, yet made it his business in late evening to come to the newspaper office to explain in detail to me the details of the case.

There are those in the province who would say that as long as Larry Collins was provincial Commane could do what he liked. Of course that is not at all true. Larry genuinely listened to people and if people were open and honest with him he responded accordingly.

In many ways he could be a shy man, maybe even diffident at times. He also may have had an ever so slight lisp. 

Larry had time for everyone. He went that proverbial extra mile to help the weak, those who had been forgotten and not considered important. He had absolutely no time for nonsense or codology. He had no time for pomposity or show.

Less than a month ago the two of us were chatting about this and that. I asked him, half jokingly/fully seriously, might he be coming around to my way of thinking. He looked at me, smiled and said nothing. Did that say it all? All forms of clericalism greatly annoyed him and he was genuinely concerned with what was happening in the Irish church.

Larry was extremely supportive of the Irish Dominican Sisters and Nuns and always called for more cooperation between the women and men.

Larry was attentive to attending the funerals of fellow Dominicans, women and men. He went out of respect for the dead and their families and friends.

The sudden and unexpected death of his 12-year-old grand nephew earlier this month was a sh0cking burden for him to bear.

I had the good fortune over the last number of years to get ever closer to Larry, listen to his wisdom and appreciate his goodness and humanity.

While he had been ill, suffering from a number of ailments, his death was sudden and unexpected.

He was intellectually gifted and a man of prayer.

To finish on a funny note and a tale about an Ireland of the past: Larry was waiting for a bus in Dublin city centre on a Sunday afternoon to go visit his family on the north side of the city. A 16A was parked at the  stop. Larry, wearing his Roman collar, got chatting with the driver and conductor. They asked him what bus he was waiting for. He replied a 16. The driver said: 'not a problem Father', changed the destination board to 16 and off they drove.

May he rest in peace.

Larry's body will be lying in state in St Dominic’s Presbytery, St Dominic’s Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24 tomorrow, Wednesday, January 24 from 2.30pm. Removal to St Dominic’s Church at 5.30pm. Funeral Mass in St Dominic’s Church at midday on Thursday. Burial afterwards in the cemetery at St Mary’s Priory, Tallaght.