Death of Fr Frank Mullan, priest at Harryville
during the protest
Ballymena SDLP
councillor Declan O’Loan has paid tribute to Fr Frank
Mullan, who was priest-in-residence at Harryville during the loyalist protest at the
Declan O’Loan said, “Fr Frank Mullan was
a great man and priest. He was one of three brothers to become priests, and all
of them, Frs Desmond, Liam
and Frank were distinguished in their vocations. Fr Frank was a man of great
energy and dedication. He had a great zest for life, and was totally humble. He
was very well read and had a wealth of experience. He was fond of music, good
food and conversation. He served on the mission fields, and during the Nigerian
civil war, was forced out of
He came to Ballymena
with Fr Eamonn to help out and found himself in the
middle of the Harryville protest, an event which
quite rightly made headlines around the world. People could not believe that
parishioners were being stopped from going to church. Fr Frank endured it all
with a quiet dignity and showed his good humour throughout, but it was a great
strain on him. At St Mary’s Primary School near the church, he was a huge
support in difficult times. He endeared himself to the pupils with his chat and
interest in them.
I encountered Fr Frank
a lot too through his involvement with the Society of St Vincent de Paul, to
which he was very dedicated. He became the Chaplain to the Northern Ireland
Region and turned up everywhere when events were happening. Giving of himself
to others was totally natural to him.
Fr Frank will be
greatly missed, but he leaves great memories behind him, and is a continuing
source of inspiration.”