John Daly returns home

A DROGHEDA PRIEST, at home on holidays from Biafra, said the country was one of the worst he had ever seen.

Rev. John Daly, C.S.Sp., Rector at the Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu, estimated that 8,000 Biafrans were dying every day. He did not hold out much hope for peace.

Fr. Daly, who has for the past fifteen years, been in this troubled land, leaves for Rome this week-end, as part of the Biafran delegation to the Holy Ghost General Chapter. He expects to return to Biafra around the beginning of October. “I would love if by that time a peaceful settlement had been reached, but I do not think this will be the case,” he said.

Ordained at Friburg, Switzerland, Fr. Daly is now Rector of the biggest seminary in Africa. There are 200 students there and when ordained they will minister mainly on Biafran mission fields.

On the evening of October 4 th, Fr. Daly explained, the Federal troops entered the outskirts of Enugu and, on the following morning, Biafran troops had taken up positions in the Seminary grounds and were replying to fire from the Federal troops, who held positions in the neighbouring College of the Immaculate Conception. At this stage, the Fathers of the Seminary staff decided to withdraw from the Seminary.

During September and October, Nigerian planes had successfully bombed schools and colleges and there was some doubt as to the advisability of opening the Seminary in other quarters. It was felt the whole Seminary should not re-open in a single place.

Fr. Daly referred to the problem of getting food supplies to the starving eight million Biafrans and said relief was getting through from Sao Tome where there was no pile up of food, but at Fernando Po the position was somewhat different.

However, Fr. Daly’s main job is to keep the Seminary in Enugu going. For the past ten days he has been staying with his sister, Miss Maura Daly, secretary to Drogheda C.E.O., at King Street. He is a brother of Carl Daly, the well known R.T.E. weather man.