Brother Brian loved and lived out the faith. He loved Ireland. He was buried in his native Elphin in Roscommon. Even the garden will miss him because he tended to the flowers and loved nature. He taught in several schools and was involved in adult literacy.
He turned up when expected or unexpected and always seemed to know what was the right thing to say. He never needed to be prompted and would break into song. He loved the songs of Ireland and recited poetry from heart. Despite being in his 80s he visited the elderly regularly. He loved walking through the fields and woods of Ireland. He was raised on a farm and loved ruralism.
After the Traditional Mass in Mrs Manifold's we would be hours singing songs and reciting poems whilst discussing topics such as the Jєωs, Fatima, crisis in the church etc etc. You met all sorts at Mrs. Manifold's but everyone had the great love for the faith and the nation.
Brother Brian would always quote the poet Patrick Kavanagh.
That beautiful, beautiful, beautiful God
Was breathing His love by a cut-away bog.
For the benefit of those not from Ireland it should be known the Irish are mad in the sense of putting things right in society. The English think we are mad as in raving mad.
You might describe Brother Brian as eccentric but he is a big loss. As he was a former president of his local
Percy French society I shall include this.