Fr Dermod inspired young people in Athy

FR DERMOD McCarthy, former head of RTÉ Religious programming who served as a curate in St Michael’s Parish, Athy died on 22 October.

It is for the two years, or so he spent in Athy that he is remembered with fondness by so many in the south Kildare town.

Fr Dermod was 28 years of age when he transferred to the Athy Parish in 1970 having upset, it is said, Archbishop John Charles McQuaid by criticism of the Catholic Church in a Radharc film with which he was involved.

At that stage of his clerical career, apart from his work with the Radharc team, Fr Dermod was also chaplain to St Anne’s Hospital, Northbroke Road, Dublin.

This was a time when the yearly ordinations for the Dublin Archdiocese were still plentiful and newly ordained priests were generally appointed as hospital chaplains or chaplains to vocational schools.

On his arrival in Athy, Fr Dermod became actively involved with St Michael’s young parishioners and was soon a central figure in the weekly meetings of Aontus Ogra.

The parish priest at that time was Fr William Rogan and his fellow curates were Fr Philip Dennehy and Fr Gilbert Kelly.

I was absent from Athy long before Fr Dermod arrived in the parish and he was long gone before I returned in 1982. I never met him but was aware of his involvement in Radharc and his priestly career after he left Athy.

My lack of knowledge of his time in St Michael’s Parish prompted me to seek help from a number of youthful parishioners of the early 1970s. All were agreed of Fr Dermod’s impact on the younger parishioners. One contributor who knew Fr Dermod well wrote: ‘My memories of Fr Dermod McCarthy are of a priest who showed young people in the town of Athy that being a priest was not only about church and ritual but could also be a force for change in our small community.

‘He changed us for the better by showing us that we could make good things happen. He allowed our young adult minds to grow and develop by simply listening to us, respecting our thoughts and opinions on the church, global politics etc. Fr Dermod showed us that we as young people had the power to make good and meaningful things happen in Athy.

‘We were part of the wave of change in Ireland. He showed us and let us become better in the world. We were broken-hearted when he was transferred to a new parish in Dublin. He was a really good friend to all of us, yes, he was our friend’ Another young person of the early 1970s referred to Fr. Dermod as a “superstar” who had been very important to him in key moments of his young life.

Fr Dermod’s advice my contributor received and followed at different stages of his early life, and he was immensely grateful for the advice which ultimately gave him the opportunity to achieve greatness in his chosen career.

Fr Dermod’s involvement with Aontus Ogra saw him arrange trips for local boys and girls to the musical Jesus Christ Superstar in Dublin and to the Folklore museum in Tralee, Co Kerry.

While Fr Dermod’s work in Athy was little known outside of the parish we all are aware of his involvement on behalf of the Dunne family to gain Ben Dunne’s release after he was held captive by the IRA.

The Dunne family understandably made arrangements to pay the IRA ransom to secure Ben’s safe release and arranged for Fr Dermod to travel northwards with the money.

However, he was stopped by the gardaí and failed to make contact with the IRA. Ben Dunne was subsequently released unharmed raising questions as to whether the ransom was paid by another person.

Following Fr Dermod’s death, it was reported that Archbishop John Charles McQuaid’s dislike of a TV programme which was critical of the Catholic Church prompted the young priest’s “exile to the furthest regions of the Dublin Archdiocese”.

Geographically, St Michael’s is the furthest end of the archdiocese, but I have never seen or believed that our parish was viewed as a “penal colony” for alleged disloyal clergy.

In any event Fr Dermod spent a little over two years in our parish and following the resignation of John Charles in 1971 he was returned by the new Archbishop Dr Ryan as a curate to Halston Street and Arran Quay in 1972.

He rejoined the Radharc team that same year and was administrator of the Pro Cathedral from 1986 to 1991 before becoming religious editor of RTÉ.

All of the people I contacted to find out more about Fr Dermod’s time in Athy were agreed that he was an important source of encouragement for the young people.

Even after 51 years having passed since he was transferred back to Dublin, Fr Dermod is still remembered for his pastoral care of a younger generation. They have not forgotten a priest whom they regarded with fondness and joy.

Since starting this eye, I have discovered that our esteemed Fr Tim Hannon was in the same seminary class as Fr Dermod and both were ordained on the 22nd of May 1966.