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New York Times
5 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Patrick Ryan, ‘Terror Priest' Who Aided the I.R.A., Is Dead at 94
Patrick Ryan, who grew up in the 1930s in County Tipperary, Ireland, understood that as the second son — and one of six children — he could not hope to inherit the family farm. But that didn't concern him. He had known since the age of 10 that he wanted to become a Roman Catholic priest. In those days, he once said, nothing confirmed the social status of a family in rural Ireland more than 'a bull in the field, a pump in the yard and a priest in the family.' When he was 14, he entered a junior seminary run by the Pallottine order, also known as the Society of the Catholic Apostolate, which preaches comity and mercy. But even then, there were hints that he might someday find a calling more aligned with his natural proclivities. Every night, he thrilled to stories his mother would tell about fending off the Black and Tans, the loathed British paramilitary forces (named for the uniform they wore), during the Irish War of Independence. An accomplished poacher even as a child, he was skilled at shooting and skinning wild rabbits. Later, in East Africa, he would shoot elephants for sport. Posted there by the Pallottine order in the 1950s, Father Ryan built housing and hospitals and distributed pharmaceuticals. He learned how to excavate freshwater wells and pilot a plane, which he flew on daring medical missions. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
BreakingNews.ie
16-07-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Ireland's oldest person dies aged 108
The death has occurred of a 108-year-old Irish woman who lived through two pandemics, the Irish Civil War and the War of Independence. Sarah Coyle was a native of Knockatomcoyle, Co Wicklow but resided with her daughter Marian Galligan in Castleknock in Dublin. She passed away peacefully on Monday surrounded by her family. Advertisement Mrs Coyle, who was born in the year of the Easter Rising, is understood to have been the oldest person in the country. Sarah, who had the maiden name Byrne, was born on July 24th, 1916 and grew up in Coolkenno before moving to Dublin as a teenager. In an interview with The Irish Times in April, her daughter Marian said that her mother had a very strong memory of the the Black and Tans, the British Forces who operated in Ireland during the War of Independence from 1919 to 1921. 'When she was very young, the Black and Tans came around and brought her grandfather James out. They were going to shoot him at the gable end [of the house] – for no reason, they were just going around doing purges,' Ms Galligan said. Advertisement "He blessed himself and he said, 'Blessed be the will of God'.' At this point the leader of the group told his men, 'Put down your guns.' They left him there, they didn't shoot him. It wasn't the will of God,' Ms Galligan said. Mrs Coyle hailed from a family of 10. Many of her siblings also lived long lives. Her sister Lily Kelly who resides in Solihull in the UK turned 103 earlier this year whilst her brother Andy Byrne lived to 100. Meanwhile, as a young woman Sarah worked in Foxrock in Dublin where she was employed as a housekeeper. She met her husband Tom Coyle at a dance. He was a native of Cavan who died in the mid 1980s. He worked as a postman until ill health set in in his late 50s. The couple lived in Drumcondra. They had four children two of whom died as newborns. Advertisement The grandmother and great grandmother lost her sight in her early 30s. Sarah rarely drank other than the odd sherry 'to be sociable". She attributed her longevity to the habit of her mother of putting the first nettles of spring in to their cabbage to 'purify their blood". Mrs Coyle became the oldest person in Ireland following the death on March 20th last in Letterkenny in Co Donegal of Ruby Druce. Ms Druce was 109 years and 79 days at the time of her passing. She lived on her own until she was 98.
Irish Times
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Let Me Go Mad In My Own Way by Elaine Feeney: An ambitious, thoughtful, nicely layered book
Let Me Go Mad In My Own Way Author : Elaine Feeney ISBN-13 : 978-1-787-30348-5 Publisher : Penguin Guideline Price : £14.99 Claire O'Connor is a poet and lecturer in creative writing. She lived in London for about a decade with Tom but soon after the death of her mother she left him and returned to 'the West of Ireland' – Athenry. She decides to stay in the family home, a bungalow built beside the original farmhouse, now derelict. The novel by Elaine Feeney focuses on Claire's relationship with her siblings, her dead parents, and with Tom, who reappears some years after the split. We delve into the past, both Claire's childhood and the earlier history of the family and region. A brutal encounter with the Black and Tans during the War of Independence is a key moment. The history of colonialism in Ireland, and the particular socio-economic culture of east Galway are dealt with. In the fields of Athenry, horses vault the class divide. Hunting 'was far from being a sport of kings around these parts'. 'The women with wizened faces and men with booming voices, their riding style slightly at odds with the locals' join the farmers for the hunt. The queen of England wants to buy a mare from the O'Connors! [ Elaine Feeney on her new novel: 'I was pushing a sort of Chekhov dinner party in the west of Ireland' Opens in new window ] The colonial legacy is one of the novel's thematic strands and is linked to the story of domestic intergenerational trauma. John, Claire's father, is capricious and violent. Her mother and the children live in terror. The unravelling of the mystery surrounding the mother's death is shockingly disclosed towards the close of the novel. READ MORE Gender issues are also dealt with at a local and universal level. Claire follows Insta posts by Kelly Purchase, one of those awful American 'tradwives'. She finds Kelly absurd but compelling. Ironically, by the end of the novel, she hosts a splendid party (Pinteresque, naturally), revealing that Kelly has exerted influence. 'The crab was set on a bed of baby gem lettuce, dressed with some hard shell, samphire, cracked black pepper and fresh parsley.' The novel is written in transparent, unshowy prose. Not linear, the narrative maintains its focus on Claire and despite several time-shifts never confuses. The main themes are handled with insight and real depth, and the depiction of the peculiarities of east Galway society is ethnographically interesting and convincing. An ambitious, thoughtful, nicely layered book. Éilís Ní Dhuibhne is a writer and critic. She is a member of Aosdána
