AUSTIN McKEON (1936-2015)

Educator, Activist and Pastor in Ireland's Northwest

Student 1955-1962

 

 

In the modern era there are hundreds of Maynooth alumni who have gone put as priests and laypeople to work in the community in a dynamic and committed manner, living out their lives without need or expectation of acknowledgment or reward. That was the case too with Austin McKeon. But in 2011 the Royal Dublin Society, long established as a promoter of agriculture and enterprise in rural Ireland, made an exceptional award of Honorary Life Membership to this man who at the time would have said that he was nothing more than a simple parish priest. We include him here as representing all the 'simple parish priests' whose work has gone unremarked except by those who directly benefitted from it.

Austin McKeon was born in Rathmulpatrick, Drumnacool, Co Sligo on 15^th August 1936, the sixth of eleven children of Patrick and Teresa McKeon. Following his early education at local schools and his secondary education at Summerhill College, Sligo, Austin entered St Patrick’s College, Maynooth  in 1955, graduating from the National University of Ireland in 1958 and ordained for service in the diocese of Elphin on 17^th June 1962.

His first two appointments as curate were on loan in the Archdiocese of Tuam; the Parish of Kilmaine in 1962-64 and Achill Sound in 1964-5. He was on the teaching staff of Summerhill College, Sligo from 1965 to 1980. During his tenure there he joined Committee for Traveling People in Sligo was a member of the Knights of St Columbanus from 1971, a connection he continued in later years, being designated Deputy Grand Knight in 1985. He also served on the Galway Regional Marriage Tribunal for four years from 1979.

From September 1980, he was assigned curate in St Anne’s Parish, based in Carraroe on the outskirts of Sligo town, while also fulfilling his teaching duties in Summerhill College. He was appointed President of the college in 1987 and the following year also became Principal, in charge of the day-to-day academic and disciplinary administration of the school, a role he held until late 1990.

In 1990, at the age of fifty-four, he was appointed Parish Priest of Tulsk, where he would serve for over twenty-five years. In 2011, he was appointed a Prelate of Honour with the title of Monsignor. In November 2015 he had to absent himself from the parish due to ill-health and he retired on health grounds in March 2016. He died in Our Lady’s Hospice, Dublin, a month later.

Mgr. McKeon made an enormous contribution to education in the Diocese of Elphin through his work as Diocesan Secretary of Primary Education, a position which he held from 1993 to 2014. In this role he supported the mission of Boards of Management in all of the primary schools of the Diocese.

As parish priest in Tulsk, Fr Austin contributed greatly to the local community. He was instrumental in the establishment in 1990 of the Visitor’s Centre in Tulsk; conducted Census of Tulsk Parish and founded the Tulsk Parish Action Group in 1991; established Tulsk Parish Services for the elderly and young married couples in 1993; set up Tulsk Voluntary Housing in 1994; was a director of Arigna Leader Board – a Statutory Board for Economic Development from 1993 to 1998 and of Roscommon Partnership from 1993 to 1997 and a director of Co. Roscommon Child Care Committee from 1994 to 1998.

In addition, he oversaw major extensions and refurbishment for the four primary schools of the parish in 2009, and spearheaded the development of St Eithne’s Rest Care Centre in 2010.

  Speaking at his funeral, Darragh Kelly, member of Tulsk Pastoral Council, paid tribute to the legacy of Monsignor McKeon and his efforts to improve and enhance the village. “Monsignor McKeon was not a man for big statements or gestures. He ‘walked the walk, rather than talked the talk’. I’m sure he would have been very pleased with the great community spirit shown in our locality particularly in recent days. I don’t want to acknowledge any one particular person, but from the efforts of the Pastoral Council, to the teaching staff in the local schools to the volunteers who ensured the Church and its grounds were looking so well, Monsignor McKeon would have been very proud of how the community has come together today. When others said why, Monsignor McKeon said ‘why not’? He often used to say that Tulsk should ‘aim big and think big’, saying ambition shouldn’t be confined to big towns or population centres. He always enjoyed success that brought acclaim to Tulsk. He wasn’t a man to wear his heart or indeed his faith on his sleeve. But he was a man of great Christian conviction and inspired others in our locality. If he believed in you, he let you get on with the task at hand and he had a great ability to surround himself with ‘doers’. Monsignor McKeon’s role in our community was also acknowledged by the RDS bestowing a Lifetime achievement award for his role in community life, not just in Tulsk but throughout his life. Underneath that determined demeanour however, lay a man with an easy wit, a neat turn of phrase and a very sharp intellect, who was also superbly informed on current affairs and world events. He loved gardening too and woe betide anyone who cast even an eye on his tulips! He also enjoyed nothing more than a day out fishing in Lough Mask with varying degrees of success! Most of us, particularly residents of the parish, can to some degree measure the milestones of our lives through Monsignor McKeon, whether it be births, marriages of deaths. But for many people, in his own quiet, unassuming way, Monsignor McKeon was a source of a great comfort and strength for people suffering in any way. A man of total discretion, he was someone who was, in a manner of speaking ‘in your corner’ particularly in times of illness and was of great support to the elderly and housebound in our community. Perhaps it would be fair to say, Monsignor McKeon packed more into his own life than many would pack into a dozen lifetimes. It’s hard to believe such a restless driven spirit like him is stilled.”

 

DEATH NOTICE

McKEON, Monsignor Austin, Pastor Emeritus, Tulsk, Co. Roscommon, and formerly President Summerhill College, Sligo - April 25, 2016, (peacefully), in the loving care of the exceptional staff at Our Lady's Hospice, Harolds Cross, Dublin, son of the late Patrick and Teresa McKeon, pre-deceased by his siblings, Joe, Maura, Kevin, Teresa and Brian; deeply regretted by his loving sisters Martha, Breedge and Eileen, brothers Eugene and Eamonn, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, his many loving nieces and nephews, grandnieces, grand nephews and a wide circle of friends. Rest In Peace. Reposing at Our Lady's Hospice, Harolds Cross, Dublin today (Tuesday) from 3pm until 5pm, followed by removal to the Church of St. Eithne and Fidelma, Tulsk, Co. Roscommon arriving at 8pm approximately. Funeral Mass will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) at 12 noon followed by burial in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Sooey, Co. Sligo. Family flowers only please, donations if desired to Our Lady's Hospice, Harolds Cross, Dublin. D6WRY72.