Longford saddened by untimely death in Addis Ababa of ‘brilliant teacher’ Bro Daniel Carlin

The sudden and premature death of Br Daniel Carlin in Ethiopia, at the end of August, brought to a premature end a life in the service of education as a De La Salle Brother. Only 68, he was principal of St Joseph’s School, Addis Ababa at the time of his death.

Known as Danny to us, his cousins and friends, his death has left many reeling at its unexpected nature; he was in good health and loved his work in Africa.

The resulting shock was felt by his brother Laurence, niece Siobhan, The Lasallian Family in Ireland, Great Britain and Malta and beyond, his confreres in Ethiopia and his many cousins and friends in and around Drumlish, Derry and London and parents, teachers and pupils of St Joseph’s School, Addis Ababa and his many past pupils in Dublin, Belfast.

Danny was born on Christmas Eve in 1955 in Longford, the home county of his mother, Mary (nee Grimes); his father, Frank Carlin was from Derry. In his tender years the family left Longford and went to London where Danny attended primary and secondary school, followed by third level, and qualified as a teacher.

We have indelible memories of Danny and his younger brother, Laurence, who was born in London, holidaying every Summer with their parents in the Grimes household (birthplace of their mother, Mary), Drumlish Hill.

There were many visits by Danny and Laurence to their cousins, the Quinns in Greagh and also across the fields to our family homestead.

Even as a young lad back then Danny spoke with an ‘educated’ English accent, with perfect diction. What he made of what must have sounded to him as our mangling of the English language as we played in the sunny fields and meadows, we didn’t reflect upon then. However, as we all moved on in life, I have reason to believe Danny appreciated the cultural roots and added colour to some of the ‘alien’ expressions – some vaguely informed by the Irish language - he would have heard while running around those same fields!

Having qualified as a teacher in London, Danny moved to Dublin in 1978, aged 22, to join the Novitiate of the De la Salle order in Kilmacud Road Upper. I had the pleasure of attending his first profession there along with his parents, around 1980; Danny’s final profession in Belfast, at which Cardinal Cathal B. Daly officiated in the ‘heady’ Summer of 1984, was a wonderful day of celebration.

Extended family and friends from Drumlish, Dublin, London and Derry converged on Belfast and the standout memories are of jollity, fun, storytelling, music and song. A most enjoyable and memorable occasion!

Before all that, when Danny joined the Novitiate he attended Mater Dei in Dublin for a year to do his formation course. His colleagues in the Novitiate said of him that it was obvious he had a vocation from the beginning and had a sure-footed sense of his own direction. “He had a strong sense of the spiritual without being sanctimonious. Indeed, he was modest and unshowy.”

Br Francis Manning in his beautifully delivered, tender eulogy brought together a selection of such tributes to Danny: his second level history teacher in London described him as a very good student, quiet and unassuming, observing that “he really accomplished.”

A Brother who taught with him in Belfast said, “Br Daniel was a brilliant teacher of any class, from the highly intelligent to those struggling to read and write. He led the Religious Education Department for a number of years before switching to Pastoral Care, in which role he counseled individual students and also a group of students after one their class friends was killed in an accident; and members of staff often approached him for advice.”

Br Kasu Danny’s Director of his school in Addis Ababa said, “Br Daniel had a rich vocabulary and conversation with him was always enlightening. He was very well read and brought his love of reading into his approach to teaching. He was never boastful and never undermined his students.”

I am aware his reading brought him to John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ and he was well able to discuss Samuel Beckett if you were interested, to mention but two.

Br Ben, Irish Provincial, described Danny as quiet and reserved, but “he was also a person who possessed great strength of character.” And a former pupil said, “He was vice-principal when I was in school and stopped me getting expelled and put me on the right track.”

Another former pupil said he always had time to listen and understand no matter what I was up to. RIP, Brother D, hope you get a great class in Heaven.”

The quotations outlined are just a small percentage of the huge volume received, but are sufficient to show clearly the high regard and respect in which Danny was held within the Lasallian Family. That respect is more than matched by all of us who’ve known him and miss him greatly.

The Longford Association joins with all who mourn his loss, his brother, Laurence, and niece Siobhan and his Lasallian Family and many more. Rest In Peace, Danny, you’ve given unstinting service from which many have greatly benefitted.