DRIVEN by ‘faith and Irish patriotism’, for the past five decades, brothers Fr Sean and Fr Jim McManus have been taking on churches and governments, outlaws and authorities, to fight for equal rights.
Over 50 years ago, Fr Seán formed the Irish National Caucus on Capitol Hill in Washington, which has grown to become one of the most powerful political lobbying groups in the US.
However, the 81-year-old’s campaign for peace and equality here at home has seen him face the wrath of the Irish and British states.
Growing up on the Clonliff Road in rural Kinawley alongside their 10 siblings, including former MP Frank, Fr Seán and Fr Jim recalled suffering extreme harassment at the hands of British forces, after their eldest brother Patrick joined the IRA.
Fr Sean remembered Patrick as ‘the boss of the family’, who had helped restart Kinawley GAA club. In 1957, his brother informed the family he was ‘going on the run’
“Patrick said we might not see him again, and we didn’t,” he said.
Troubled times
In July 1958, during the ‘Border Campaign’, 29-year-old Patrick was killed when a bomb he was transporting in the Swanlinbar area detonated unexpectedly.
In the lead-up to and in the aftermath of his death, the McManus family endured a difficult time as the British forces became the ‘most constant visitors’ to their home.
“Patrick’s bed was in the loft and they raided the house many times,” Fr Seán recalled.
“One turned to my mother and said, ‘Mrs McManus, the best possible thing you can do is tell us where your son is and we’ll save his life’.
“They were asking Mum to be an informer on her son. When Patrick was killed, the bus coming from St Michael’s College was stopped and myself and Frankie were taken off in handcuffs.”
With tensions rising in Fermanagh, Fr Jim moved to Cork to begin his studies as a Presentation Brother. Despite aspiring to be a teacher, he felt a calling to join the priesthood.
Faith matters
Fr Jim was professed as a Redemptorist in 1957 and later ordained in 1964. He spent the next three years studying in Rome.
He was then joined in the priesthood by Fr Seán, whose calling came as a surprise to many.
“I spent the night at my cousin’s and on my way home, I got a flat tyre on the bike. Coming up what was Phil Murphy’s bray, I had that moment of clarity, God’s calling,” he explained.
“When I got home, I told Frankie and I thought he was going to die laughing at the thought of it.”
Fr Jim dedicated his life to ministry, writing 20 books around faith and religion. He established Hawkstone Hall in Shropshire in England as a Sabbatical Spiritual Renewal Centre in 1973.
He spent almost 40 years of his life there, before moving to live at the Redemptorist Spirituality Centre in Perth, in Scotland.
His brother, however, took a different route, challenging the authorities within the Catholic Church over their reluctance to get involved in political matters.
“The Census Protest was going on and I released a very simple statement saying that in solidarity with the people at home, I was refusing to comply,” explained Fr Seán.
“If you’re a young priest in England, especially a young Redemptorist, the first thing you learn is you must not rock the boat.”
The Church took a dim view on Fr Seán’s political involvement, sending him to Scotland. Fr. McManus did not consider it politics but rather action on behalf of justice, quoting the official teaching of the Catholic Church. “Action on behalf of justice [is] a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel and [a constitutive dimension] of the Church’s mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation,” he said.
He returned to Fermanagh in 1971 to celebrate at the wedding of his brother Frank and his wife Carmel, when he was arrested following his attendance at a demonstration.
“There was several Policemen knocking the hell out of a young kid. I had my collar on and I went to say there was no need for them to do this,” recalled Fr Seán.
“They immediately arrested me. What for? For being the brother of Frank McManus, that’s why.”
At the subsequent hearing at Enniskillen Court, Fr Seán refused to recognise the court.
He was told to ‘pack my bags’ and was sent to the States in October 1972.
“I knew it was going to end up with Seán going to America,” Fr Jim said, “They thought he’d be safe there, but it was the opposite.”
The American Dream
Fr Seán touched down in New York on the ‘Feast of the Guardian Angel’, where he was assigned to Baltimore. He feels the move saved his life.
“If I stayed in Ireland, I would have been killed. That’s not because I was of any significance, but anyone who said boo was a target,” he recalled.
With the help of sympathisers in the States, Fr Seán formed the Irish National Caucus. The lobby group was set up on Capitol Hill.
For over 50 years, Fr Seán has headed up the Irish-American group which has achieved major status in the States, including the introduction of The MacBride Principles into law in 1984. The Principles would become law in 18 States and Federal Law in 1998.
“The Irish Government said we were going to be violent and we were sending money and guns to the IRA. You can only imagine what the British Government said – it was an all out attack.
“We had huge support from across the country. Their attacks magnified our presence and Jack Lynch thought he was putting us out of business.”
But it came at a cost with the McManus family receiving even more attention.
“We were concerned that heightened emphasis on the family could be difficult,” said Fr Seán.
“They tried to kill my mother, shoting through her window. Frank was shot too. The dilemma was – if we got involved, our family could have been killed.”
The brothers remain steadfast in their belief that they made a difference through their work, with their hopes remaining for a united Ireland.
“Will it happen in our lifetime, probably not? But will it happen, most certainly,” they agreed.