THE community in south Fermanagh is in mourning this week following the sudden death of popular local priest Fr Niall Greene.
The death of the Kinawley man comes during a week of sadness for the county, following the passing of two other popular local men – the ‘famous’ Willie Boyd, peacefully at the SWAH, and 69-year-old Francis Lynch, following a road crash in Lisnaskea.
Fr Greene, formerly of Glassdrummond and later of the Spiritan Congregation, Ardbraccan in Meath, passed away suddenly on December 10.
Having spent time as a missionary in Brazil in the past, he celebrated his silver jubilee at St Naile’s Church in Kinawley in August past.
The priest, who was in his 50s, was described as ‘a dependable brother’ during his funeral mass on Monday.
“Niall was a man who was incredibly flexible incredibly practical and a resourceful man,” said one of the funeral celebrants, Fr Maurice Shothall.
“I remember one time Niall told me that when he was home on holidays here, he did his mothers weekly shopping and got everything on the list and came in 25 to 30 percent cheaper, so when it came for us in Brazil to look for a new bursar naturally Niall was the man.”
The funeral congregation heard Fr Greene, a former pupil of St Aidan’s High School in Derrylin, was also a trained chef who had no problem putting his cooking skills to work.
“Not only in Ardbraccan but we certainly saw that in Brazil, he served, he fed, and needless to say nobody every went away hungry,” they heard.
“Niall was blessed with a gentle and easy going way of being with people and communicating with people.
“In Niall you got what you saw. Friendship was really important to Niall and as one of our senior men in Brazil said about Niall, he brought energy into the room and his presence was quiet but it was there.”
Following his Requiem Mass at St Naile’s Church, Kinawley, on Monday December 15, he was interred in the adjoining cemetery.
