Members of the extended O’Connor family, neighbours, and friends gathered at the ancestral homestead of Fr Sean O’Connor O.S.A. at Doonasleen, Knocknagree, to celebrate his 100th birthday. Fr Sean travelled from the Augustinian Community at Abbeyside, Dungarvan, County Waterford, where he currently lives, to mark the milestone at his childhood home.

Fr Sean was born on 9 June 1926 alongside his twin sister, Peg. He grew up on a farm with his parents and six siblings, all of whom are now deceased. He was baptised in Kiskeam but his family regularly travelled to Sunday Mass in Knocknagree.

He attended the old two-story school in Knocknagree, where he was taught by Miss Dennehy, an educator he later honoured in a poem titled “My first Teacher”. He recalls encountering the blind fiddler Tom Billy Murphy on his school journeys, which helped foster a lifelong love of music inherited from his mother, Maggie Jones, who played the concertina.

Known as Jackie during his youth, he took the name John O’Connor when he moved to New Ross for his secondary education with the Augustinian Order in 1939. He made his simple profession on 24 September 1946 and was ordained a priest in Rome on 13 July 1952.

Shortly after his ordination, Fr Sean’s health failed when he contracted tuberculosis. He spent two years at St Mary’s Hospital in Phoenix Park, Dublin, which included nine months of complete bed rest and two chest operations. The surgeries resulted in the loss of seven ribs and the permanent collapse of most of his right lung. Due to his health, his lifelong ambition to join the foreign missions could not be realised.

Following his recovery, Fr Sean served in various religious appointments across Ireland and England, including Callan, Fethard, Dungarvan, Carlisle, Drogheda, Galway, and Ballyhaunis, before returning to Abbeyside. At his 98th birthday celebration in 2024, it was noted that he was the oldest serving Roman Catholic priest in Ireland and the UK.

For his centenary celebration, Fr Sean wore his priestly vestments to celebrate Holy Mass at an altar prepared in the sitting room at Doonasleen. A framed apostolic blessing from Pope Leo XIV, a fellow Augustinian priest, was displayed on a nearby table.

Due to poor weather and the large crowd, the gathering moved to the new Knocknagree Community Centre for a reception. A special photograph was taken on the day featuring Fr Sean alongside his six surviving first cousins.

As a dedicated Gaelic football follower, Fr Sean was presented with a custom Knocknagree GAA jersey featuring the number 100. He later wore the jersey at the local football grounds for photographs, on a day when Knocknagree secured a league win against Kilnamartyra.

The day concluded with a visit from the Bishop of Kerry, Ray Browne, who travelled to the ancestral home to congratulate Fr Sean. Fr Sean noted that it was a historic occasion, marking the first time a bishop had ever visited the townlands of Doon or Tureen.

Gardaí are appealing for witnesses following a tragic single-vehicle road traffic collision that occurred on the N72 near Calfmount, Barraduff, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The collision took place at approximately 2:20 am.

The driver of the car, Joshua Kamara Lynch, aged in his 20s and from Ridge Lane, Barraduff, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

His body was removed to the mortuary at University Hospital Kerry for a post-mortem examination, and the coroner has been notified.

The road was closed following the incident to allow for an examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators, with local diversions put in place to redirect traffic travelling between Rathmore and Killarney via Glenflesk. It reopened on Wednesday evening.

Joshua is sadly missed by his heartbroken mother Emma, brothers Eric, Tommy, Zion, and Orion, sister Faith, father Matthew, grandmother Cathy, and his extended family and many friends.

He will be reposing at O’Keeffe’s Funeral Home, Rathmore, Friday evening from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. His Requiem Mass will take place on Saturday, 27 June, at 11:00 am in St. Joseph’s Church, Rathmore, followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery.

Investigating Gardaí are appealing to anyone who witnessed the collision to come forward. Road users who were travelling on the N72 near Calfmount, Barraduff, on Wednesday morning between 1:45 am and 2:20 am, and who may have dash-cam footage, are asked to make it available.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Killarney Garda Station on (064) 667 1160 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.