Appreciation - Sean F O’Driscoll

It is with deep regret that we learned of the recent passing of our distinguished friend and founder member colleague, Sean F. O’Driscoll. Our heartfelt sorrow however is mingled with pride in his outstanding achievements and gratitude for the generosity of service ethic and spirit, he displayed towards his fellow volunteers but more particularly towards the members of St.Patrick’s Credit Union. His achievements place his name among the foremost of those early credit union pioneers who have served their community (ESB) and their fellow-men so well.

Sean was a dreamer and his dream came true. However, like all dreams it only came to fruition through a combination of sheer hard work, dedication and idealism. Universally popular, decent and described by many former colleagues as a bundle of energy, Sean’s idealism can best be described in the words of George W. Russell (A.E.) as follows:

“We are all laying foundations in dark places, putting the roughhewn stones together in our civilisations, hoping for the lofty edifice which rise later and make all the work glorious”.

So it was that Sean and nine other pioneering volunteers came together in 1962 and founded what has become the biggest co-operative movement in the history of ESB where growth in membership has risen from 227 to 11,700 and savings volumes have increased from €200K to €250M. Indeed, in the early years, before word processors and computers, Sean’s dedication was shared once a year by his family, where his wife Alice, and each of his five children, Kathy, Alice, Michael, Kevin and Paul were involved in the collation and stapling of hundreds of annual reports in their home in preparation for delivery to the members.

Credit Unions were founded on the recognition of people’s talents and the harnessing of energies together with the pooling of appropriate resources. In the context of the times in Ireland, the credit union movement was in its infancy and Sean and his colleagues can truly be mentioned in the same breadth as Nora Herlihy and John Hume, who were considered to be among the leading lights in the new cooperative credit union movement in Ireland. It is also worth noting the very significant early support, financial and otherwise provided by management at the highest levels in ESB, support that remains as strong as ever today.

Faced with current economic difficulties, the history of the credit union movement in Ireland will repay serious thought and study. The legacy of pioneering individuals, in ESB, Sean and his colleagues, in their generosity of spirit, their dedication and commitment and sensitivity to the need for voluntary community service, is perhaps just as relevant today.

“Not for Profit, not for Charity, but for Service". George O’Driscoll, President, St. Patrick’s Credit Union.