At 87 years of age, Fr Duffy's death brought to an end a memorable lifetime in the priesthood, one of commitment, hard work and dedication to traditional churchvalues. Fr Duffy was born in Kilmainhamwood, Co Meath on 17 April 1925. His mother died when he was only 8 years of age leaving his father to rear the family.

From a very early age he had the priesthood in mind and, on the advice of a local priest, he went to St. Patrick's College, Cavan. One of his classmates was the legendary P.J. Duke from Stradone, the great Cav- an footballer whose lamented death occurred at an early age.

He didn't like St. Pat's at all and spoke of the tough regime he endured there. The food was poor during the war years and he was very unhappy with the rough treatment he received at the hands of some teachers.

Ironically it did not shake him in his desire to become a priest and he was one of the three pupils from the Diocese selected to gain entry to St. Patrick's College, Maynooth after his Leaving Cert.

He had intended to go to the St.Patrick's Missionary Society, Kiltegan and serve on the missions but his selection for Maynooth meant that he would serve, in Ireland. Maynooth, he said, was "heaven on earth" compared to St Pat's and he thoroughly enjoyed his term there.

He was ordained in 1950 and he recalled with pride how there were 84 ordained along with him, a far cry from the absence of vocations nowadays.

Among those ordained with him were two who would subsequently become bishops: Dermot Ryan, Archbishop of Dublin and Jeremiah Newman, Bishop of Limerick.

The 1950s were days when there was an abundance of vocations and when Fr Seamus came out of Maynooth there was no vacancy for him in the Diocese. In fact there was a queue of 22 before him waiting for a similar position. These had been dispersed to serve elsewhere to await their posting. Some were temporarily in America, Australia, Belfast, Galway, etc and Fr Duffy was sent to Mountmellick, Co Laois.

He spent three and a half years there and eventually got the call to go to Drumkeerin, Co Leitrim. He served there until 1961 when he went to Ballyjamesduff and from there to Ballinaglera as Parish Priest in 1981. His final 23 years were spent in Ballinamore.

He played a major part in the GAA in North Leitrim while serving in Drumkeerin. He was chosen as Cathaoirleach of the North Leitrim Co. Board in 1955 at a time when all was not well with football there. His Vice Chairman was the late Fr John A Young, then curate in Creevelea and the Runai was the late Michael Fox, otherwise known as "Gael Og".

At that time, according to Fr Duffy, there was "hardly a match with- out trouble". Objections, counter objections, abandoned games, suspensions, etc. Between them they rescued the situation and brought discipline to the game.

The Treasurer was a returned Yank, John McGourty, and all of the meetings and conventions were held in his house overlooking the Fair Green in Manorhamilton.

Fr Dufy was at that time a great fundraiser and through card games and mini fundraisers he funded different projects in Drumkeerin. He also did great work in paying for the new church in Ballyjamesduff when he went there.

He was involved in community organisations like Muintir na Tire in Drumkeerin, the Tidy Towns in Ballyjamesduff where they won the All Ireland in 1966 and 1967 and the GAA in Ballinaglera.

He was one of the last of what might be called the "old stock", one who had an infallible belief in all that the church taught and expected the same response from his flock. The
drop in vocations to religious life bothered him greatly as did the decline in the practice of religion generally.


Courtesy of The Leitrim Observer. Tweet

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