Mayo Ministers pay tribute to the late Fr Frank Fahey
Fr Fahey died peacefully at the age of 90, surrounded by his loving and heartbroken family.
Mayo Minister Alan Dillon and Minister Dara Calleary are among those paying tribute to Fr Frank Fahey following his passing on Thursday, July 16.
Ballintubber native and Minister Alan Dillon said he was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Fr Fahey, a man he had the privilege of knowing for decades.
"He was much loved in the village and further afield, but it is for his tireless and unwavering work on the 800-year-old abbey which will be his lasting legacy.
“Fr Frank was a remarkable figure. A priest, historian, guardian of heritage, and above all, a man of profound faith and imagination. His life’s work was inseparable from Ballintubber Abbey.”
Minister Dillon praised Fr Fahey's dedication over more than four decades to restoring, protecting and revitalising the historic abbey.
"From the revival of the Abbey in the 1980s, to the Passion Play, to the renewal of Tochar Phádraig, his achievements shaped not only the parish but the cultural and spiritual identity of Mayo," he said.
He also described it as "deeply fitting and symbolic" that Fr Fahey passed away on the very day work began on the new Cultural and Heritage Centre in Ballintubber.
"This project was part of his enduring vision, a continuation of the story he spent a lifetime writing. That the new centre commenced on the day he passed feels like a final blessing, a moment of perfect continuity between his life's mission and the future he imagined for the Abbey and its community."
Minister Dillon concluded by extending his sympathies to Fr Fahey's family, the Ballintubber Abbey community and all those mourning his loss.
Minister Dara Calleary also paid tribute, expressing his condolences to Fr Fahey's family, parishioners and friends.
"I am very saddened to learn of the passing of Fr Fahey and extend my condolences to his family, to his parishioners and to all his many colleagues and friends associated with Ballintubber Abbey.
"His kindness, compassion and unwavering faith touched so many lives, and his devotion to the Ballintubber Abbey Project was inspirational. It leaves a legacy that will last forever.
"May his legacy of service and commitment continue to live on in the hearts and minds of those he served so diligently. May he rest in peace."
Funeral arrangements for Fr Fahey are expected to be announced later today.