Heraldinganew erainFriary’s150th anniversary
WHEN one walks around the garden at the back of the Franciscan Friary in Killarney, it isn’t the rabbits, hens or pink roses that call the eye first, but the impressive remains of a fallen Monterrey Cypress tree.
“Storm Darwin floored it back in 2014, and a few more trees with it,” Guardian Fr Padraig Breheny says as we round the base of the uprooted giant. “One of the Friars was looking out from the house as the storm toppled everything. It must have been quite the scene.”
A statue of Saint Francis stands in a cove chiselled into the now-smooth base, the upturned tree’s vine-like roots cleaved away three years ago by tradespeople. Another effigy stands at the opposite end of the bark in place of the long-severed branches. “We made the best of the situation,” Fr Padraig explains, fixing the sleeve of his brown habit.
“The tree was always a source of serenity, a place to reflect, so we decided not to get rid of it. We just tidied the roots and branches, and it’s remained a centrepiece of the garden. We changed it to suit.”
Rhyming off dates like a wellbriefed archivist, Fr Padraig’s knowledge of the Friary’s history is as deep as his attention to its future. August marks the 150th anniversary of the Friary’s first Mass, but as we pace the pavement bounding the lawn, the Killarney Guardian speaks more expressively of the changes approaching the Friary than the upcoming commemorations. Like the Monterrey Cypress, the Fairhill Friary faces alterations, and that’s what commands the bulk of Fr Padraig’s thoughts.
“The Franciscan’s roots in Killarney stretch back centuries; we came to Muckross in around 1440, and while we’ve faced challenges and moved between Mangerton Mountain, College Street, and New Street over the centuries, we’ve been on Fairhill since the 1860s,” he says.
“But even since settling here [in Fairhill], we’ve made changes as they were required, and more change is on the way. The Friary will soon become an international novitiate, meaning there will be a new community here from August; I might not even be here myself, depending on the outcome of an upcoming Chapter meeting. For that reason, we think it best not to think too much about the celebrations just yet.
“What I do know is we’ll keep it low-key. We’ll probably have a special Mass to mark the occasion and, if weather permits, a day here [in the garden] for the public. We might try to have a concert too but, regardless of what’s organised, I hope to be here for the celebrations, whether I’m moved on after the Chapter or not.”
We slam the brakes as a rabbit bolts across our line-of-sight, jumping over a strawberry runner like a giddy stag and clambering under the shelter of one of the garden’s many verdant bushes.
An unusual sighting, it’s a reminder that this place, an unruffled enclave in a town that can’t sit still, is an untypical pinprick of calm in an increasingly hectic world.
Fr Padraig feels Killarney is still a perfect fit for the Friars though and maintains that the oncoming international status will energise the local House.
“We’ll have Dutch, English, German and Irish Friars coming here, and we’ll also welcome national and international Novices as a result of our new status. It’s a big change, and I’m afraid it’s one that’s come about because numbers in Europe are declining.
“But the news for Killarney is positive. While we could see Irish Friaries closing in years to come, there’s no immediate danger of that happening in Killarney because of the status coming our way. I think the locality will welcome that; we’ve been here for a long time, and our connections with some families stretch back generations.
“Outside of that, we continue to play a positive role in this town. For instance, SouthWest counselling was an initiative we started back in 1994, and in 1999 we handed our old building over to the KDYS. They do an untold amount of good work for young people locally, and our association with initiatives like that have kept us in people’s minds.”
Leaving the garden, Fr Padraig saunters towards the burial ground adjacent to the Friary. His gaze drifts smoothly from tombstone to tombstone, eventually settling on the marker at the head of Brother Jerome’s grave.
“I don’t know how many times people have told me they call over to pray to Brother Jerome,” he says. “Fr Joachim buried over there was a local man, and you get a lot of people visiting his grave too. Today, we follow what they did; we’re always there, available to visit people, supporting them when they’re sick or if they’re in need of guidance.
“But we need the people of Killarney too. We owe our longevity mainly to a locality that’s supported us from the very start, and I hope the people here continue to support us because we’d be lost without them.”
He turns and points to a sapling just off the edge of the burial ground, a scrawny, unimpressive twig pointing crookedly at the overcast Killarney sky overhead.
“That’s from the fine Yew Tree we had in the old Abbey over in Muckross,” he says with a smile. “It’s taking its time growing but, with the help of God, it’ll be around far beyond this year’s 150th anniversary. It could be as important to the next generation as the Monterrey Cypress is to us.”