An Appreciation - BRIAN CAIRNS

The following tribute to Mr. Cairns was published in The Irish Times on March 20th 2007.

An Appreciation - BRIAN CAIRNS

Brian Dawson Cairns, the former headmaster of Midleton College who retired in 2003, has died after a long illness, aged 64. Educated at Ballymena Academy and Queen’s University Belfast, where he read geography, he joined the staff of Methodist College, Belfast in 1965, becoming a senior resident master of the boys boarding department and head of geography. He succeeded JW Smyth as Headmaster of Midleton College, Co Cork in 1981.

Crossing the Border was not, in those days, such a straightforward matter and Brian found that he needed to qualify in Irish in order to have his new post recognised by the Department of Education in Dublin. This became a less formidable obstacle when he discovered that one of the senior inspectors in the Department had been an external assessor in geography for the Northern Ireland A-level examinations.

Brian greatly widened the horizons of pupils at Midleton College, encouraging his students to consider entry to the British as well as to the Irish universities. Under his guidance the college flourished, student numbers increased, extra subjects were added to the curriculum and additional staff were appointed.

He cared deeply about all members of the college community, but especially about his students. He was an excellent judge of people and was widely regarded as firm but fair. He placed great emphasis on extra-curricular activities, particularly sport and music. Affectionately referred to as “the Boss” by students and staff alike, he was approachable and open-minded, commanding deep affection and respect. He and his wife, Katherine, were the most sociable of people and his fine tenor voice was greatly appreciated by the congregation of St. John the Baptist Church in Midleton.

Brian was a keen sportsman, playing hockey, cricket and rugby at school and continuing to play hockey and cricket for the Collegians Club in Belfast. He served as chairman of the Munster Hockey Umpires Association and on the selection committee for Irish international hockey umpires. Later in life he became a formidable opponent on the croquet lawn.

He was an excellent fund-raiser (a skill he had learned, he claimed, when selling the Encyclopaedia Britannica as an undergraduate in Belfast) and the college’s facilities were greatly improved during his period in office by the opening of the Jameson Institute for the Teaching of the Natural Sciences to mark the tercentenary of the college in 1996. This provided Midleton College with science-teaching facilities second to none in Ireland. Next came the opening of the Samir Naji Computer Centre, named after a distinguished old boy. Seven years later a splendid hockey pitch with lights was erected on what was previously known as the Cave Field. It has made a huge difference to many sports in Midleton.

Brian and Katherine were a most devoted couple. She had worked, before coming south, as librarian in the Belfast Telegraph and was installed as college librarian when they moved to Midleton.



He will be remembered for his sense of style, his infectious humour, his deeply held Christianity and his outstanding leadership. The stone marking the entrance to the new hockey pitch carries the following inscription: “The Cairns Field, Honouring Brian and Katherine Cairns, Headmaster and Librarian of Midleton College, 1981 – 2003”.

He is survived by his wife, Katherine, his daughter Tracey, her husband Jonathan, and his grandson Jacob.