Funeral takes place of former Bishop of Ferns Brendan Comiskey
The funeral has taken place of the former Bishop of Ferns, Dr Brendan Comiskey.
His funeral mass at Sruleen Parish Church in Clondalkin in Dublin heard of a life lived through faith, hope and love.
Dr Comiskey, was remembered as a man who cherished his time with his family and that there was a profound sense of gratitude among his family, friends and colleagues for the love his gave them and the wisdom he shared.
He was ordained a priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1961 and became Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dublin in 1979. In 1984 he was appointed the Bishop of Ferns.
He resigned in 2002 amid claims that he failed to report allegations that Fr Sean Fortune had abused a number of children while Dr Comiskey was in control of the Ferns diocese. Those allegations resulted in an inquiry known as the Ferns Report.
It found that the former bishop had failed to establish sound child protection measures in the diocese.
Fr James Fegan, a former colleague of Dr Comiskey in Ferns, told those gathered for the funeral mass that Dr Comiskey was "a product of the church culture of his time" where the focus was on the organisation rather than on people.
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Sunday World
18-05-2025
- Sunday World
Hopes are high that remains of ‘Disappeared' IRA man Joe Lynskey have finally been found
A republican source in rural Monaghan told us: 'I know we've been down this road before, but I honestly believe this time we have Joe Lynskey' Joe Lynskey with the Price sisters in Say Nothing This is the spot at Annyall Cemetery where Fragments of human remains were discovered by Independent Commission for the Location of Victims this week as the search continues for Joe Lynskey. This is the spot at Annyall Cemetery where fragments of human remains were discovered by Independent Commission for the Location of Victims this week as the search continues for Joe Lynskey Hopes were high last night that the remains of 'Disappeared' IRA man Joe Lynskey have finally been found, the Sunday World has learned. On Tuesday, we were made aware that a convoy of Garda vehicles and a number of black Mercedes cars had assembled near the grave of the Comiskey family in a small Catholic cemetery at Annyalla, Co Monaghan. It came five months after six bodies were exhumed from the family grave of Bishop Brendan Comiskey. However, in March the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (ICLVR) revealed that DNA tests confirmed that Lynskey was not one of them. The 40-year-old former Cistersian monk from Belfast was killed and secretly buried by the IRA in 1972. The Sunday World can reveal that human remains which were removed from the cemetery this week were 30 yards from the Comiskey plot, where Bishop Comiskey was buried earlier this month. This is the spot at Annyall Cemetery where fragments of human remains were discovered by Independent Commission for the Location of Victims this week as the search continues for Joe Lynskey It's a remote and silent spot, shaded yesterday by a lone hawthorn in full bloom of mayflower. Just a short distance away, boys and girls were inside the adjoining St Michael's church making their First Communion. And last night, a republican source in rural Monaghan told us: 'I know we've been down this road before, but I honestly believe this time we have Joe Lynskey.' He added: 'It's in all our interests that we do all we can to facilitate the finding of the bodies of the Disappeared.' Late on Friday afternoon And following an inquiry from the Sunday World, the ICLVR issued a statement to the press that partial human remains had been discovered. Eamon Henry, lead investigator of the ICLVR, said: 'Following the recent exhumation at Annyalla Cemetery in relation to the search for Joe Lynskey, information came to the ICLVR indicating another small area of interest within the confines of the cemetery. 'This was not another family grave site. The search continues for Joe Lynskey 'I want to emphasise that this information did not relate directly to the disappearance of Joe Lynskey and until we have positive identification or the elimination of the remains of Joe Lynskey, or any of the other Disappeared, we have to keep an open mind.' Joe Lynskey News in 90 Seconds - May 18th Mr Henry also said he was aware the hopes of the Lynskey family had been raised once before, only to be disappointed. And he cautiously added: 'The process of identification could take some time and we will continue to offer the family what support we can.' Garda officers remained at the graveyard on Tuesday and Wednesday, while specially trained experts brought in a small digger machine to begin a new search operation. Last December, Bishop Comiskey had personally given the go-ahead for the search to take place at his family's grave, bearing the bodies of his mother and father and other members of his family. And when Bishop Comiskey was buried there, the family plot was closed for good. It had previously been wrongly believed that the IRA had taken advantage of a tragedy at the Comiskey family farm to cover up the fate of Joe Lynskey. Lynskey had gone missing from his west Belfast home around the same time that Bishop Brendan Comiskey's mother Clare died in fire at the family farm at Tasson, near Annyalla. Former bishop of Ferns Brendan Comiskey pictured during a confirmation cermony in 1997 . Photo When her elderly husband Patrick went off to summons help, Mrs Comiskey re-entered the blazing farmhouse in an effort to retrieve valuables. Lynskey went missing from his home in the Beechmount area of west Belfast in 1972. He was driven to Monaghan town by IRA volunteer Dolours Price. And on the journey, he shared with her the trail of debris he had left in his wake, which almost sparked a full-scale feud within rival factions of the republican movement. 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Joe Lynskey with the Price sisters in Say Nothing But when the full truth emerged, Lynskey was court marshalled and ordered to travel to Monaghan until the IRA decided his fate. On the journey across the border, Dolours Price later revealed how she felt sorry for her passenger, even offering to leave him off at a cross-channel ferry terminal, but Lynskey insisted he had to take his medicine. The journey scene was re-enacted in the recent Disney+ series Say Nothing. In Monaghan, Lynskey was dropped off at the Park Street home of a well-known republican family related to legendary IRA figure Fergal O'Hanlon, who was shot dead in 1957 attacking Brookeborough RUC barracks in Co Fermanagh. We recently learned that although Lynskey was under IRA orders, he wasn't a prisoner and he was free to come and go as he pleased. In the evenings, Lynskey prayed a lot and he enjoyed discussions about Irish history with Einaghan O'Hanlon – Fergal's brother – as they ate home-made bread and drank tea. 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As well as Lynskey, the commission is also tasked with finding three other victims – County Tyrone teenager Columba McVeigh, British army Captain Robert Nairac and Seamus Maguire, who was in his mid-20s and last seen in a bar in Aghagallan, Co Antrim. Anyone with information on the four outstanding Disappeared cases, can contact the Commission on 00 353 1 602 8655 or by email to secretary@ or by post to ICLVR, PO box 10827, Dublin, Ireland.
RTÉ News
01-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Funeral takes place of former Bishop of Ferns Brendan Comiskey
The funeral has taken place of the former Bishop of Ferns, Dr Brendan Comiskey. His funeral mass at Sruleen Parish Church in Clondalkin in Dublin heard of a life lived through faith, hope and love. Dr Comiskey, was remembered as a man who cherished his time with his family and that there was a profound sense of gratitude among his family, friends and colleagues for the love his gave them and the wisdom he shared. He was ordained a priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1961 and became Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dublin in 1979. In 1984 he was appointed the Bishop of Ferns. He resigned in 2002 amid claims that he failed to report allegations that Fr Sean Fortune had abused a number of children while Dr Comiskey was in control of the Ferns diocese. Those allegations resulted in an inquiry known as the Ferns Report. It found that the former bishop had failed to establish sound child protection measures in the diocese. Fr James Fegan, a former colleague of Dr Comiskey in Ferns, told those gathered for the funeral mass that Dr Comiskey was "a product of the church culture of his time" where the focus was on the organisation rather than on people.
Sunday World
01-05-2025
- Sunday World
Video: Funeral of disgraced Bishop Brendan Comiskey takes place in Clondalkin
The Bishop moved away from public life after the Ferns Report exposed abuse by the church The funeral of disgraced Bishop Brendan Comiskey, who resigned over criticism of his role in investigating allegations of clerical sexual abuse, has been buried today. The funeral of the 89 year old took place earlier today at the Church of the Sacred Heart on St Johns Drive in Clondalkin, Dublin. Predeceased by his parents, two sisters and seven brothers, the holy man ended his career in disgrace after the Ferns Report revealed the true extent of the abuse inflicted on kids in the care of the church. Soon after the report was made public, the Monaghan native retreated from public life as it emerged that Comiskey had failed to protect children from paedophile priests and failed to report allegations that Fr Seán Fortune had abused a number of children. The Ferns report found that Comiskey had "failed to recognise the paramount need to protect children, as a matter of urgency, from potential abusers". Born in August 1935, Dr Comiskey was originally from Clontibret in Co Monaghan and was ordained a priest in 1961. He became Bishop of Ferns back in 1984, aged just 49. He would serve in the role for 18 years, through what is widely regarded as one of the darkest periods of the Catholic Church. Speaking to the Irish Independent in 2014 about the clerical abuse scandal, he said: 'I did my best and it wasn't good enough and that's it.' In recent years, Bishop Comiskey had been under the care of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Ranelagh in Dublin.
