Sir, – Oliver O’Hanlon’s story on the founding of Belvedere Newsboys club (An Irishman’s Diary, July 31st) reminds me of Declan Collins who, while working in Dublin, took over the running of that club. He opened the boys up to new vistas, having them meet similar young men from Northern Ireland. Although a rugby fan himself, he escorted them to soccer matches in Manchester and to Áras an Uachtaráin to meet the President. Declan later joined the Salesian Order of John Bosco. On ordination he was immediately sent to Capetown. There, he set up youth clubs to provide for those youths who were too old for youth shelters and too young for adult shelters. Declan openly criticised the police and could be seen bailing out young men from police stations in Capetown on a regular basis.
When President Mary Robinson was a guest of honour of Nelson Mandela, Declan was given the honour of saying grace at the State banquet. Declan left Capetown to become parish priest of Ennerdale in Johannesburg.
Tragically, he was murdered in 2002 during a robbery at his parochial house there. – Yours, etc,
MARION WALSH,
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Dublin 4.
