The late Fr Packie Prunty Patrick Joseph Prunty was born on January 10th 1938 in Breanrisk, Co Longford. He was one of nine children born of Tomas Prunty and Anne (nee Mulligan), six daughters and three sons. He attended Clonteagh National School from 1943 to 1951 and went to St Mel's College, Longford where he studied from September 1956 he entered St Patrick Missionary Society, Kiltegan and he was ordained a priest on Easter Sunday, April 14th, 1963. Fr Packie's first appointment after ordination was to Minna Diocese in Northern Nigeria. He worked in Bida Mission and later ministered for ten years in Minna town. Fr Packie accompanied his bishop, Most Rev. Edmond Fitzgibbon to Port Harcourt Diocese and worked as his Secretary for a time. From there he moved to Christ the King Parish where he served for many years. He was later appointed to St Jude's Catholic Mission, Rumuokoro where he remained in charge until his return to Ireland for medical treatment. Fr Packie was an outstanding priest who was held in the highest esteem by the people to whom he ministered, by his Superiors and by his fellow priests. A quiet gentle man he devoted the entire forty four years of his priest hood to missionary work. He looked for the very minimum in terms of human comforts and put all his energy in tot he service of his people. While Fr Packie will be fondly remembered in his 'second home' Nigeria, he will not be forgotten in his native parish of Clonguish. It was highly significant that St Mary's Church , Newtownforbes was packed to capacity for a memorial Mass in his honour honour just one week after his untimely death. Here he will always be remembered for his legendary exploits in the green and white of the Clonguish GAA Club. He played a key role in the successful Junior League and Champion campaigners of 1959 when he and his defensive colleagues created something of a record by not conceding a single goal in fourteen consecutive games. His greatest footballing hours were to come in the halcyon days of the early sixties when Clonguish lifted the Sean Connolly Cup four years in a row. Packie featured as an outstanding half back in the historical victories of 1962/63. A player of immense strength, speed and courage he would surely have figured prominently on the great Longford teams of the later sixties had not the mission fields of Nigeria beckoned. Whether on the playing filed or on the mission field Packie Prunty exhibited the same special qualities. His self-effacing, manner often masked his exceptional gifts and achievemetns. He was always happy to let others hold centre stage. He never sought to impress anybody, but in so doing, he impressed everybody with whom he came in contact on a journey that was lived modestly, decently, generously and exceedingly fruitfully. Fr Packie underwent heart surgery on February 2nd, 2007 in the Blackrock Clinic and died the following morning. He was laid to rest in Kiltegan on Thursday February 8th, 2007. He is predeceased by his brothers Tommy, Fr. Jimmy and his sisters Alice, Mary Annie and Sister Annunciata. He is survived by his sisters Breege and Sr Assumpta and by his many nieces and nephews. Courtesy of the Longford Leader 13 April 2007 Tweet

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