Ballymanach-born Fr Denis turns 90
THOSE of us who were children of the sixties have dearly held and cherished memories of Fr Denis Lynch as when on holidays to Valentia Island he celebrated Mass with that distinctive and clear voice in fine summer mornings in the village of Chapeltown. On October 7, last, he celebrated his 90th birthday from his base at Pope’s Quay in Cork
Born in 1926, Fr Denis comes originally from Ballymanach in Valentia.His formal education began at the Knightstown National School, where he was taught by John Mawe, Mrs. Edwards and Mrs. O’Driscoll. He attended St Brendan’s College Killarney secondary school between 1940 and 1945. He recalls fellow and older students Fr Donal O’Sullivan of Cahirsiveen and Austin Ring of Valentia as taking him under their wing in his early days there. The late Fr Willie Murphy of Valentia was also in attendance with him.
Having left ‘ The Sem’, Fr Denis joined the Dominican order of priests, doing his novitiate and first year studies at Popes Quay in Cork City. From here he went to the Dominican house of studies in Tallaght, Dublin, finishing off his studies here and being ordained in July 1952 by Archbishop John Charles McQuaid.
The next seven years from 1953-60 were spent as a Bursar in Newbridge College in County Kildare and following that he returned to Tallaght and also spent periods in Athy, Dorset Street in Dublin, as well as in Drogheda and Waterford.
The year 1976 saw him embark on his first foreign venture with his going to Argentina to spend ten years there, coming home every three years. Shortly after his arrival, the Government there fell to the military, which saw the well documented phase of the disappeared or ‘desaparecidos’, in which 10s of thousands of anti-government dissidents disappeared without trace. However, he was contented there, living in the city of Parana about seven hours North of Buenos Aires.
Having arrived home in the mid eighties, Fr Denis spent the next seven years as a curate in Tallaght, and from there went to Ballybeg in Waterford for two years. He was subsequently transferred to Tralee for seven years, affording him the opportunity to visit his late brother Paddy in Valencia, with whom he was close.
He arrived to his current abode, Popes Quay, 12 years ago. All good future wishes are extended to him. Go maire se an cead.