FR KEAVENY MARKS 50 YEARS IN PRIESTHOOD
FR Keaveny marks 50 years of priesthood
By JOHN McCUSKER
ON his path to gaining international recognition as a Nobel prizewinner, Poet Laureate Seamus Heaney benefited from the teachings of Omagh parish priest, Fr Michael Keaveny.
Likewise, Finance Minister, Mark Durkan grasped the fundamentals of balancing the economy when, as a young student, he came under the indoctrination of the PP, who was then a maths teacher in St Columb's College in Derry.
This weekend, Fr Keaveny celebrates the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.
In a lifetime devoted to the church, the 71-year-old cleric has administered in Derry, Killygordon and Omagh yet never once served as a curate!
And he has also enjoyed prominence as one of the divers involved in the discovery of the Spanish Armada vessel, La Trinidad Valencera, off the north coast of Ireland in 1971.
The remains of the stricken ship which foundered in September 1588 in Kinnego Bay, 15 miles south-east of Malin Head are now recognised as being among the great shipwrecks of Europe.
The third eldest in a family of 12, Fr Keaveny was born in Moville on the Inishowen Peninsula in 1927. Following primary education at the local National school, he and his brother Lawerence a former CC in Dregish, Drumquin and now Chaplain in the Nazareth House in Derry - won four-year scholarships to St Columb's College.
In 1944, the young student opted to study for the priesthood and was accepted to the Derry Diocese. He initially spend three years at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, where he gained his Bachelor of Science secular degree.
By the summer of '47, the Irish College in Rome was re-establishing its intake of young priests following the cessation of hostilities during the Second World War. A total of 20 young students travelled from Ireland to Rome that year to complete their studies, among them the young novitiate, Michael Keaveny.
"Italy and France were just totally devastated at that particular time," he recalls. "Trains were forced to travel slowly through France as the landscape was badly scarred and conditions were just terrible.
"There was also a continual shortage of food supplies, especially in London where it was difficult to get any food at all in cafes and restaurants, although when we arrived in Switzerland, which hadn't been touched by the war, there was no problem at all in getting supplies.
"The winter of 1947 had seen the worst weather in the last century in Ireland, so when we arrived in Rome it was a welcome relief to find a pleasant climate."
Following a four-year study spell at the Irish College, during which he secured his STL degree in Theology, Fr Michael was ordained by Cardinal Micara in the Church of St John Lateran in Rome on 10th March, 1951.
Three months after the ordination ceremony, the young priest returned home to Ireland. In the September of that year, he commenced teaching duties at St Columb's College in Derry, specialising in Maths and Religious Education.
Among the students attending St Columb's during his time there were celebrated Novel prize recipient, Seamus Heaney, SDLP Finance Minister in the new Executive, Mark Durkan and author and political commentator, Eamonn McCann. SDLP leader, John Hume was also a student at the college during that period, although he was never taught by Fr Keaveny.
"I remember Seamus Heaney as a particularly pleasant young man at that time, who was quite good at Maths as well as English, which, of course, he went on to excel in," he recalled. "He was a member of my first mathematics class and one particularly striking memory of him which I have is that he always had a grin on his face and was never backward or shy in any way."
The priest's keen interest in water sports also led him to become involved with the college's swimming and life saving team, taking the latter on to win a title at all-Ireland level.
In the late 60's Fr Keaveny joined the City of Derry Sub-Aqua Club a move which led him to uncover the treasures of the sunken Armada vessel.
On Saturday, 20th February, 1971 a dozen divers from the club were taking part in a search of the sea bed at Kinnego Bay in anticipation of locating the resting place of the ship La Trinidad Valencera.
For two years, club members had scoured the area after learning from British Museum references that the wreck had gone down in the bay
Fr Keaveny explained: "It was a reference in a book. The Survivors of the Armada by Evelyn Hardy first put me on the trail. My diving companion for the day was a Dr Jim Whelan from Omagh, sadly since deceased, and together we moved out underwater along a reef that extended for a couple of hundred yards out to sea.
"We decided to surface to get our bearings more accurately and we had just done so when another diver, Paddy Stewart, surfaced about ten yards away and shouted, 'There's a gun down here',"
Thirty feet below, in murky waters with visibility down to 15 feet, the divers spotted a cannon lying across the rocks. Other articles discovered nearby included a Belgian-manufactured bronze swivel-gun from the deck of the ship and an assortment of weapons and ammunitions which had remained untouched on the ocean bed for almost 400 years.
During further dives, Fr Keaveny discovered a set of navigational pointers, encrusted in concretion but otherwise in perfect condition, and a copper and lead container which was later identified as a weight for a quartermaster's balance.
Renowned underwater archaeologist, Colin Martin was on-hand for the lifting of the first cannon guns during Holy Week 1971 and he later remained to supervise operations.
Work on the recovery of items continued until the mid-80s, with the BBC taking particular interest in the find.
The majority of the items salvaged are currently housed in the Ulster Museum, while the best preserved cannon - one of five recovered from the wreck -is on display in the Tower Museum in Derry city centre.
In 1976. Fr Keaveny was appointed PP in the newly-established Deny parish of St Josephs in Galliagh, where his first curate was Omagh-born Fr Kevin Mullan.
By the mid-80s he was to move across the border for seven years to undertake the parish priest's duties at Donaghmore in Killygordon, before being appointed PP in Omagh in 1992 following the retirement of Monsignor Martin Rooney.
Since his arrival in the Drumragh parish, Fr Keaveny has undertaken an extensive renovation programme at the Sacred Heart Church. He is also heavily involved in the town's Churches Forum where he currently shares the position of co-chairman with Church of Ireland Minister, Rev Derek Quinn.
An interest in youth affairs led to his involvement as a member of the trustees of the cross-community Station Centre shortly to be opened on the site of the former railway goods yard at James Street. The site of the multi-million pound development was donated to the group by the parish.
In the aftermath of the Omagh bomb and during the subsequent inquests into the deaths, Fr Keaveny provided a supporting role to the bereaved and injured. He also officiated at the funeral of Libbi Rush during which he welcomed the attendance of UUP leader, David Trimble who attended the ceremony in his capacity as First Minister of the Assembly.
In 1995, Fr Keaveny was appointed Vicar Foreine (VF) for the Tyrone deanery, a position which elevated him to one of four senior priests in the Diocese. "When I learned I had first been appointed to Omagh, I felt very honoured," he said. "Mixed with that, however, was a certain feeling of trepidation at the thought of taking on such a large parish. But nine years down the line I now have very fond impression of the town and its people."
Shortly after his appointment as VF, Fr Keaveny was bereaved following the death of his politician brother, Paddy. A former member of the Independent Fianna Fail party, he had, in recent times, held the North Donegal seat in the Dail for Fianna Fail. The seat has since been secured by the late TD's daughter and niece of the PP, Cecilia.
This weekend's anniversary celebrations for Fr Keaveny will be centred in the PP's home town of Moville and in his parish in Omagh.
On Saturday, family and friends will join the PP for Mass in St Pius X Church in Moville. And on Sunday Drumragh parishioners will mark the occasion at a celebratory Mass in the Sacred Heart Church at 6pm. After the ceremony there will be a reception for the parish priest in the adjoining St Joseph's Hall.
By JOHN McCUSKER
ON his path to gaining international recognition as a Nobel prizewinner, Poet Laureate Seamus Heaney benefited from the teachings of Omagh parish priest, Fr Michael Keaveny.
Likewise, Finance Minister, Mark Durkan grasped the fundamentals of balancing the economy when, as a young student, he came under the indoctrination of the PP, who was then a maths teacher in St Columb's College in Derry.
This weekend, Fr Keaveny celebrates the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.
In a lifetime devoted to the church, the 71-year-old cleric has administered in Derry, Killygordon and Omagh yet never once served as a curate!
And he has also enjoyed prominence as one of the divers involved in the discovery of the Spanish Armada vessel, La Trinidad Valencera, off the north coast of Ireland in 1971.
The remains of the stricken ship which foundered in September 1588 in Kinnego Bay, 15 miles south-east of Malin Head are now recognised as being among the great shipwrecks of Europe.
The third eldest in a family of 12, Fr Keaveny was born in Moville on the Inishowen Peninsula in 1927. Following primary education at the local National school, he and his brother Lawerence a former CC in Dregish, Drumquin and now Chaplain in the Nazareth House in Derry - won four-year scholarships to St Columb's College.
In 1944, the young student opted to study for the priesthood and was accepted to the Derry Diocese. He initially spend three years at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, where he gained his Bachelor of Science secular degree.
By the summer of '47, the Irish College in Rome was re-establishing its intake of young priests following the cessation of hostilities during the Second World War. A total of 20 young students travelled from Ireland to Rome that year to complete their studies, among them the young novitiate, Michael Keaveny.
"Italy and France were just totally devastated at that particular time," he recalls. "Trains were forced to travel slowly through France as the landscape was badly scarred and conditions were just terrible.
"There was also a continual shortage of food supplies, especially in London where it was difficult to get any food at all in cafes and restaurants, although when we arrived in Switzerland, which hadn't been touched by the war, there was no problem at all in getting supplies.
"The winter of 1947 had seen the worst weather in the last century in Ireland, so when we arrived in Rome it was a welcome relief to find a pleasant climate."
Following a four-year study spell at the Irish College, during which he secured his STL degree in Theology, Fr Michael was ordained by Cardinal Micara in the Church of St John Lateran in Rome on 10th March, 1951.
Three months after the ordination ceremony, the young priest returned home to Ireland. In the September of that year, he commenced teaching duties at St Columb's College in Derry, specialising in Maths and Religious Education.
Among the students attending St Columb's during his time there were celebrated Novel prize recipient, Seamus Heaney, SDLP Finance Minister in the new Executive, Mark Durkan and author and political commentator, Eamonn McCann. SDLP leader, John Hume was also a student at the college during that period, although he was never taught by Fr Keaveny.
"I remember Seamus Heaney as a particularly pleasant young man at that time, who was quite good at Maths as well as English, which, of course, he went on to excel in," he recalled. "He was a member of my first mathematics class and one particularly striking memory of him which I have is that he always had a grin on his face and was never backward or shy in any way."
The priest's keen interest in water sports also led him to become involved with the college's swimming and life saving team, taking the latter on to win a title at all-Ireland level.
In the late 60's Fr Keaveny joined the City of Derry Sub-Aqua Club a move which led him to uncover the treasures of the sunken Armada vessel.
On Saturday, 20th February, 1971 a dozen divers from the club were taking part in a search of the sea bed at Kinnego Bay in anticipation of locating the resting place of the ship La Trinidad Valencera.
For two years, club members had scoured the area after learning from British Museum references that the wreck had gone down in the bay
Fr Keaveny explained: "It was a reference in a book. The Survivors of the Armada by Evelyn Hardy first put me on the trail. My diving companion for the day was a Dr Jim Whelan from Omagh, sadly since deceased, and together we moved out underwater along a reef that extended for a couple of hundred yards out to sea.
"We decided to surface to get our bearings more accurately and we had just done so when another diver, Paddy Stewart, surfaced about ten yards away and shouted, 'There's a gun down here',"
Thirty feet below, in murky waters with visibility down to 15 feet, the divers spotted a cannon lying across the rocks. Other articles discovered nearby included a Belgian-manufactured bronze swivel-gun from the deck of the ship and an assortment of weapons and ammunitions which had remained untouched on the ocean bed for almost 400 years.
During further dives, Fr Keaveny discovered a set of navigational pointers, encrusted in concretion but otherwise in perfect condition, and a copper and lead container which was later identified as a weight for a quartermaster's balance.
Renowned underwater archaeologist, Colin Martin was on-hand for the lifting of the first cannon guns during Holy Week 1971 and he later remained to supervise operations.
Work on the recovery of items continued until the mid-80s, with the BBC taking particular interest in the find.
The majority of the items salvaged are currently housed in the Ulster Museum, while the best preserved cannon - one of five recovered from the wreck -is on display in the Tower Museum in Derry city centre.
In 1976. Fr Keaveny was appointed PP in the newly-established Deny parish of St Josephs in Galliagh, where his first curate was Omagh-born Fr Kevin Mullan.
By the mid-80s he was to move across the border for seven years to undertake the parish priest's duties at Donaghmore in Killygordon, before being appointed PP in Omagh in 1992 following the retirement of Monsignor Martin Rooney.
Since his arrival in the Drumragh parish, Fr Keaveny has undertaken an extensive renovation programme at the Sacred Heart Church. He is also heavily involved in the town's Churches Forum where he currently shares the position of co-chairman with Church of Ireland Minister, Rev Derek Quinn.
An interest in youth affairs led to his involvement as a member of the trustees of the cross-community Station Centre shortly to be opened on the site of the former railway goods yard at James Street. The site of the multi-million pound development was donated to the group by the parish.
In the aftermath of the Omagh bomb and during the subsequent inquests into the deaths, Fr Keaveny provided a supporting role to the bereaved and injured. He also officiated at the funeral of Libbi Rush during which he welcomed the attendance of UUP leader, David Trimble who attended the ceremony in his capacity as First Minister of the Assembly.
In 1995, Fr Keaveny was appointed Vicar Foreine (VF) for the Tyrone deanery, a position which elevated him to one of four senior priests in the Diocese. "When I learned I had first been appointed to Omagh, I felt very honoured," he said. "Mixed with that, however, was a certain feeling of trepidation at the thought of taking on such a large parish. But nine years down the line I now have very fond impression of the town and its people."
Shortly after his appointment as VF, Fr Keaveny was bereaved following the death of his politician brother, Paddy. A former member of the Independent Fianna Fail party, he had, in recent times, held the North Donegal seat in the Dail for Fianna Fail. The seat has since been secured by the late TD's daughter and niece of the PP, Cecilia.
This weekend's anniversary celebrations for Fr Keaveny will be centred in the PP's home town of Moville and in his parish in Omagh.
On Saturday, family and friends will join the PP for Mass in St Pius X Church in Moville. And on Sunday Drumragh parishioners will mark the occasion at a celebratory Mass in the Sacred Heart Church at 6pm. After the ceremony there will be a reception for the parish priest in the adjoining St Joseph's Hall.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/0747
Published Date: 08-Mar-01
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