Lynham's legacy lives on.

Malachy Lynham deceased ended his days in this Parish,having spent over 40 years of his life spreading the word of God in Peru.He was a huge friend of mine and I admired him greatly .He exuded holiness and a humility that was contagious.A native of Rosemount in Westmeath  he was a fierce dedicated GAA man and was the sort of man you would like in your corner if the odds were against you and courage was needed.
His father fought on the Republican side in the civil war and he felt that the victors kept down the vanquished out of spite for far too long.Many Republicans emigrated to South America from his area,he used say ,to get away from the hassle experienced daily.
He was his own man ,very much so ,and despised those priests and others who perpetrated such indignities on children.
His innocent upbringing can be deduced from a true story he told me about the time of his first Confession.In the run up to his first Communion he and his brother,who were separated in age by less than a year,were sure that a Confession they made in the school two weeks before the due date for Communion was the real thing and confessed all known sins up to that point in time.
However within a few days they were told that it was only a trial run and that the real job would be one week hence.Convinced that a number of new sins would be needed for the real job they got more stressed each day trying to conjure them up.Time was rapidly running out when the light shone through.
His brother said "Malachy do as I do."With that he led them to a lined well that was used as a water source for cattle.The brother leaned over the side of the well and started to roar  "Sh  t",P ss ","F ck"into the well repeatedly .Malachy followed suit .And so they clocked up their quota.
His courage under pressure can be gauged by his appearance.Anyone who remembers him in his old age would remember a black quiff of hair on his forehead surrounded by a silver mane.His hair turned from black to silver overnight such was the fear he suffered while giving shelter to persons on the run, while under watch from a murder gang who knew where their quarry was.By God's grace they did not break into the house and murder him and his guests.But his hair changed colour there and then and the black spot was a permanent reminder of that night.
In his time in Peru he grew very fond of a local tea,which he found very calming.It was later banned as being too close to the "real thing",much to his disappointment.
For years he graced us every Sunday for dinner in our house ,showing his appreciation by gifting us a huge jar of coffee every Christmas.Like myself he had a great appetite,eating until he was tired.
Anyhow i digress.
He was more or less given the free run of the sub parish of Kilbride by the PP of Dunderry,that is the Kilbride near Trim not the one near the Dublin border.He always gave a great sermon and I often wonder if they have been saved for posterity as he kept them on computer.He was well liked ,particularly in Kilbride,so much so that when he could no longer drive his car,his nearest neighbour and friend Dinny Gogarty drove him around,assisted in emergencies by Tom o Neill.
Anyhow hit on the idea of having the Vigil Mass at 6.00 p.m. every Saturday,which as far as I know is the earliest Vigil mass in Meath.
It caught on and within a short time it was standing room only every Saturday.Not only do the Kilbride parishioners attend but a liberal sprinkling of Dunderry,Robinstown ,Trim ,Athboy ,Kildalkey and people from further afield attend.
I went last Saturday after a long absence from that Church.
IT was 95% full ,unusually not 100%, due I suspect to Meath's game in Tyrone as I missed the fanatical  GAA men from the Church (think Billy Bligh and his buddies).The attendance represented both genders with a wide spread of ages.
I met that former football warrior of Moymet,Dunderry and Meath fame Dinny Gogarty,looking as good as ever,George O Neill ,whose father Tom is recovering well from surgery,Paddy Gorey ,Bernie Flanagan,Mickey and Rose Daly,Andy Halton,Liam O Farrell,Pat Conroy,Fidelma Bligh   and an tusualTomas O Chonaire o Laimbe,to name a few.
Mass was served by two alter boys and it took father Hornick and two lay Ministers of the Eucharist to attend to the Communicants.
The people who go to Mass here must wonder at the veracity of the oft quoted fall in Mass  attendance.Doesn't apply here.
Maybe Malachy is inspiring a revival from this most magical and humble of places.(Which he often said was no place for a white man,as he was always cold,his blood having been acclimatised to the heat of Peru ).
I like to think so.
Me thinks I heard the howling of a husky as I made my way to the car in the dusk.Ringo ?