Former GAA star and Sunday Game pundit Joe Brolly strikes a pose with Fr Brian D’Arcy at the start of the Graan Novena which is drawing thousands of people to the Enniskillen monastery this week.
DESPITE the wintry night and the fact that this year’s Novena of Hope at the Graan was brought forward a month due to Easter falling early (6th April), the crowds are still turning out in their thousands.
An estimated 1,000 people turned up on Monday night to hear TV pundit and former Derry GAA star Joe Brolly give what Fr Brian D’Arcy, CP described as ‘a very sincere, very challenging, very uplifting’ talk.
“He spoke for about 30 minutes, about donating a kidney, how he thought it was a good thing to do and how, afterwards, it was a different level of emotional experience altogether. He went down phenomenally,” he said.
Last night, Fr Niall Martin, Kiltegan Father was the guest speaker and, today, Wednesday, it’s the turn of well-known GAA administrator, Ryan Feeney, ‘the next big man in the GAA’, according to Fr D’ Arcy.
Tomorrow, it’s the turn of Enniskillen-born, Peter Sheridan who, on his retirement from the RUC, was the highest ranking Catholic in the force. Today, he heads up Cooperation North.
Friday’s speaker, Reverend Ruth Patterson not only achieved fame as the first female Presbyterian to be ordained, she was the one, according to Fr D’Arcy who paved the way 23 years ago for the close ties the Graan community enjoy with the Church of Ireland congregation in Old Rossorry.
“She broke the ice and, later, we were able to get (Rev) Bert Tosh and (Archdeacon) Cecil Pringle to the Novena as speakers.”
On Saturday, it’s the turn of former priest (’he left the priesthood to get married, and saw no reason why he should’), Liamy McNally, from Westport, county Mayo where he remains active in his church.
On Sunday and Monday, the speakers are fellow Passionists, Gareth Thomas and Daniel O’Leary.
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