The death of Brother Jerome Kelly, a former superior general of the Presentation Brothers Order, deprives Cork and Ireland of a unique benefactor, a former city manager of Cork, Mr Joe McHugh, has said. The Minister for Education, Mr Martin, also paid tribute yesterday to Brother Jerome, who was principal of the Presentation Brothers College in Cork from 1969 to 1981 and who died last Tuesday in Cork.
As well as being an educator who used modern technology in the classroom during the early years, Brother Jerome was a farseeing teacher who told his pupils that poverty was something they could tackle themselves.
In 1970, he founded the group known as Students Harness Aid for the Relief of the Elderly, or SHARE. This enlisted the aid of Cork Corporation and the support of the city's population to amass enough funds to begin a building programme to house the needy in Cork.
The original programme was developed by the male students at Presentation College but was quickly taken up by girls' schools in the city and became a wonderful example of how an enlightened teacher can motivate students.
Since SHARE's formation, more than 200 apartments for the homeless in Cork have been built and since the 1970s the concept has spread throughout the State to other schools and colleges.
In 1984, members of SHARE were chosen to represent European youth at a conference in Brussels during the European year of older people and solidarity between generations.
The then president, Mrs Mary Robinson, spoke highly of the SHARE concept, saying it was an outstanding group.
In 1981, Brother Jerome became superior general of the Presentation Brothers. But he never lost touch with Cork and with the Presentation College in the city, which was one of the major rugby nurseries in Munster. Brother Jerome's life was marked by his ability to motivate businesses and other organisations to give generously to the causes which he espoused.
The Minister for Education said yesterday that a unique character had been lost to the city.