FR CHRISTY DOWN UNDER
NORTH SLIGO PRIEST MEETS PLENTY OF SLIGONIANS ON A SIX WEEK TRIP TO NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA
THE Parish of Ahamlish was without local priest Fr Christy McHugh recently as he travelled to Australia and New Zealand on a six week break.
However, Fr Christy proved the old adage of you cannot go anywhere without meeting someone you know. He spoke to Grace Larkin about his journey and the Sligo people he encountered on his travels:
Fr Christy set off on January 12 for New Zealand. “I was dying to do Australia again after being there in 1989. I wanted to do New Zealand as well and some part of South East Asia. Even though it’s for young people and I’m 30 years late I still wanted to go; you are only as young as you feel,” said Fr Christy.
His journey began in Auckland where he “walked into the arrivals hall to see the laughing faces of Joe and Patsy Currid.” Former Scoil Naomh Molaise Principal Patsy and her husband Joe were on a seven week visit to their daughter Niamh, who along with her husband Marvin and three children, has been living in Auckland for the past eight years and working as a vet. Joe and Patsy dropped Fr Christy to his accommodation with Jill McMillan, mother of Shane McMillan and mother in law of Paula Currid. The couple live in Barnaribbon with their children Conor and Peter.
The two boys had a real treat when Fr Christy and their grandmother skyped their classes at Scoil Naomh Molaise, Grange with the help of their teachers Miss Harvey and Miss Doherty.
While in Auckland, Fr Christy also met up with former Grange lady Mary Herity and her husband Nigel McKenna. The couple emigrated to New Zealand in 1986 and live there with their son and daughter.
He spoke fondly of his time with the couple and their children “Michelle and Mark and Missy the cat and Marshmallow the sheep and flossy the goat all running around the ten acre lot.”
He also took the opportunity while in Auckland to meet with Grange native Denise Lockhart and her partner Ciaran Faherty of Spiddal.
Denise ( above right inset) is now a personal fitness instructor while Ciaran is a chef as well as being a distance runner with Tokyo 2020 in his sights.
On January 19 Fr Christy left Auckland and arrived at Queenstown on the south Island of New Zealand.
There he was welcomed by Cliffoney native Elaine Farrell and her partner Rosses
Point man Mark Armstrong. Mark treated Fr Christy to a shark boat experience on a two seater boat.
Fr Christy and the couple decided to see the rest of the South Island with the aid of a hiace camper van. “The first night in the camper van I slept like a baby, partly due to the fact I had visited three wineries in the afternoon.
The 3am bathroom visit on the campsite was a struggle when you forgot the code to the shower block,” joked Fr Christy.
He recalled that the experience of showering and shaving in the shower block brought him back to 1979 “when there might be four other guys at adjoining sinks shaving in lovely Kilteegan Co. Wicklow.”
Talking to Mark the next morning, Fr Christy learned that Mark’s former school mate from Sligo Grammar School, Graham ‘ Monty’ Byrne from Strandhill, was working in the ice cream parlour just around the corner.
“So needless to say I made my way in to find Monty. I had known his dad and uncles who went to school with me in Summerhill and also the Byrne family in Strandhill,” Fr Christy recalled.
For the next five days the three travelled around the South Island heading to TeAnau where a stop for diesel led him to meet a Kerryman who came there 24 years ago and could never just get out of there again
“Campsites are interesting places. You get to meet everybody from all over the world. Central areas are great places for mingling with all kinds of cultures and languages and make for very entertaining evenings,” he said.
On the Saturday night in TeAnau he attended the vigil mass which was said by the local priest who like Fr Christy looked after three different churches.
After returning to Queenstown it was off to Melbourne for the Ahamlish priest where he was greeted by another Sligo native.
“I was met by John Conway of Upper John Street in Sligo, an old friend whose late brother Padraig was with me through the first three years of the seminary. John whilst working in Dublin met a lady called Norell, and the couple now live in Melbourne with their five year old daughter Evelynn,” he said. While on a visit to a village called Yarra Glen they were met with a scary situation. “The street was blocked off because someone sent a bomb threat to the police station five buildings away. Thankfully we got out safe,” he said.
After this he met with Declan Foley from Pearse Road in Sligo. A former undertaker in his father’s business in the Market Yard, Declan is now 30 years in Australia, having arrived out there with his wife and three children. “Many people will know him from his contributions on Ocean FM,” said Fr Christy. The central part of Fr Christy’s visit was to see Sr Ellen Woods. He affectionately refers to her as “my Aunty Nellie” as his best friend’s aunt, he too started calling her
that. Now 65 years in Melbourne, she went out after her Leaving Cert in the Mercy. Before that she resided in Aughamore in Carraroe where her sister Mary Burns still lives.
“When Nellie left Ireland it would have taken six weeks to get there, where it took me two days. She has devoted her life to teaching and to hospital chaplaincy before she retired with the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Order in Murphy Street, Brighton. Neillie went out to her aunt Sr Fintan Woods whose sister, Sr Philomena Woods, had gone to China with the first Columban Missionary Sisters. Nellie continues to do work around the retirement home with the other sisters. While visiting Nellie I met with Patrick and Letty O’Connor from Crossmolina who have resided in Melboure for many years,” said Fr Christy.
While in Melbourne he also met with Gregory Burns a Dublin man who holidayed in Mullaghmore for many years as a young man.
Fr Christy then met a Grange descendant when he visited Sgt Jan Van Der Wall on the army base at Puckapunyal. The grandson of the late Rita Feeney of Barnadearg, Fr Christy had met him along with his wife Ana and their children Sophie and James when Jan brought them home to meet their great grandmother.
From here it was on to the world famous Bondi Beach. “It looks like the TV show Bondi Rescue but every attempt to be rescued failed,” laughed Fr Christy. After taking in a trip to the Blue Mountains, the Sydney Opera House, and St Mary’s Cathedral in 47 degree heat during a time when 46 fires raged around Queensland, Fr Christy set off for Indonesia and to Bali.
“It is a very religious country in one way and can be highly touristy. Bali has narrow streets, a huge population, and mope heads as far as the eye can see. There are many temples and offerings to the gods in every garden and outside every door,” he said. But after six weeks it was time to return to Grange. His final thoughts on his six week adventure? “
It was a wonderful experience of life and it’s always great to go out and come home safe having met great people,” Fr Christy concluded.