Parish Priest returns to his native county after 21 years in Offaly

COOLDERRY Parish Hall wasn’t able to hold the large crowd that spilled out into the open as the young and no so young, gathered on Tuesday evening of last week to bid farewell to Fr Kieran Blake, Co-PP.

Fr Kieran, or as he preferred to be called, Kieran, has been transferred from the parish of Kilcolman where he has spent the last twenty one years, to Inis Cealtra Pastoral Area in Bodyke taking effect from Friday last July 28th. The parish of Kilcolman will now be administered by the Brendan Pastoral Area.
This is far from an easy time for parishioners, for clergy and for any Bishop, in this case Bishop Fintan Monahan, with only two students applying to Killaloe Diocese to commence their propaedeutic year of pre-seminary formation.
There are now 27 of the 58 parishes in the diocese with no resident priest under 75. During the year past several meetings at diocesan and pastoral area level were held to look at and discern the way forward in terms of structure. It is intended to work on the fruits of that synodal journey this Autumn and in the coming years as parishes lose their clergy and parishioners struggle to come to terms with the loss of such clergy, the reduction in the Sacraments and the closure of some churches around the country.

Tuesday evening’s farewell party was charged with emotion as many clubs and organisations made presentations to Fr Kieran, as he was involved with all of them at some stage or another over his time in the parish, setting up clubs or motivating the ones already in existence. Presentations were made on behalf of the Pastoral Council and Finance Committee, Drama Group, Coolderry Hall, Kilcolman Social Club, Aghancon/Shinrone Group of parishes, GAA and Camogie clubs to mention just some. He was very involved with the Hall committee acting as their secretary for some time, the local drama group, the Blackbull Threshing where he will still be helping out this year, and the GAA club, to name just some.

Glowing tributes from speaker after speaker described Fr Kieran as a hard worker, reliable, kind, thoughtful and a humble man who got on with the work on hand. Fr Kieran proved to be a very popular individual as well as a much loved cleric, and that was so evident at this special function in his honour.
Throughout the speeches there was one obvious thread describing Fr Kieran and that was friendship. He was a friend to everyone regardless of who they were or where they came from.
Fr Kieran will take away many fond and happy memories from the parish, back to his native Clare, safe in the knowledge that those friendships will last with him forever and knowing too that he will be sorely and sadly missed and welcomed back anytime with open arms.