Fr Larry (84) was very much loved in St Dominic’s parish

FR LARRY Collins, who was the parish priest in St Dominic’s Church, Tallaght, for over two decades, has been remembered as “a man of great integrity” after passing away on Monday at age 84.

A Raheny native, Fr Collins joined the priesthood in the 1960s as a member of the Dominican order and was a student in St Mary’s Priory, Tallaght.

After he was ordained, Fr Collins then lectured in the Priory and became the prior of St Mary’s in late 1978.

After five years, he then became a prior in Newbridge before returning to Tallaght as the administrator in St Dominic’s Church from 2001 up until last autumn, when he became ill.

Fr Collins was a studious man, who trained as a canon lawyer and worked for the diocese in that capacity, and he also studied pastoral theology.

Fr Donal Roche, the prior of St Mary’s Priory, told The Echo: “Fr Larry was very sincere and a fine preacher.

“He had the appearance of being severe and strict, but when you got to know him, he was very human, very kind, very fair, and very much admired.

“He was very honest and certainly a man of great integrity. He was a hard worker, and he was very assiduous in how he carried out his work, and very selfless in the way he lived his life.”

Away from the altar, one of Fr Collins’s passions was sport, as he was a talented footballer in his younger years and was a keen Dublin supporter.

However, his biggest impact has been on his parishioners and his Dominican family, with the laity in St Dominic’s offering unwavering support to Fr Collins throughout his time in the parish.

“He was very much loved in St Dominic’s,” added Fr Roche. “Even when he was quite ill and wasn’t able to function all that well, he still got a lot of help and support from the parishioners.”

Parishioners from across Dublin and Kildare paid tribute to Fr Collins on rip.ie, where he was remembered as “a warm and kind man” who was “an exemplar of an Irish Dominican”.

Fr Collins’s funeral will be held in St Dominic’s Church today, Thursday, January 25 after 12 noon mass followed by burial in the Dominican community burial plot at St Mary’s Priory.

Fr Laurence Seosamh Collins OP, St Dominic’s Presbytery, Tallaght, Dublin, died on January 22, 2024, at Tallaght University Hospital.

Deeply regretted by his Dominican Brothers, Sisters and laity, sister Sinéad, brother Patrick, sister-in-law Nan, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, relatives, friends, parishioners and household of St Dominic’s.

Pre-deceased by his sister Máire Colleran and brothers Peadar and Eamonn.