RIP Laura Buckley Noonan
Search
06 Sept 2025
Search
06 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
When Caherline NS pupils heard Fr Pat Currivan lost his All-Ireland medals, the children fundraised, got new ones specially made, and surprised him with the gift
MANY parishes in Limerick have no resident priest but Caherconlish and Inch St Laurence was blessed to have Fr Pat Currivan for 47 years.
The All-Ireland winning minor hurler with Tipperary will remain part of the spiritual fabric of Caherline and Caherconlish after he was buried in the adjoining cemetery of Our Lady, Mother of the Church following Requiem Mass on Monday.
Fr Currivan, who recently turned 90, passed away peacefully, in the wonderful care of the University Hospital Limerick staff, on Thursday, April 24.
His mind was as sharp as his touch on the GAA field in his youth but his body had begun to display the years on the clock.
READ MORE: Daughter, 11, pays beautiful tribute to beloved Limerick mum after her sudden death
Fr Roy Donovan succeeded Fr Currivan after he was appointed to the parish in 2009. The duo worked hand in glove for the past 16 years.
“He was a man of great integrity and very honest. He was a man that was at home in his own skin. There was no mask. He was his own man.
“He was very non-judgmental and I never heard him complaining or giving out. He was just a very genuine man. He had wonderful knowledge and wisdom. He was a great man to talk things through with. I always took his advice,” said Fr Donovan.
His words are echoed in a beautiful tribute on the Caherconlish Caherline Facebook page.
“Fr Currivan was more than a spiritual leader - he was a steady presence in the lives of so many. With quiet strength, deep compassion, and unwavering faith, he guided our parish through joys and sorrows, celebrations and challenges. Whether at the altar, at a bedside, or simply in conversation, he met each person with genuine warmth and care.
“His sermons, always thoughtful and filled with kindness, left lasting impressions. He listened without judgment, comforted without condition, and served without seeking recognition. Through baptisms, weddings, funerals, and everyday Masses, he became part of the fabric of our lives.
“Fr Currivan’s legacy will live on in the community he helped build, the faith he nurtured, and the countless lives he touched. He reminded us, by example, what it means to live a life of service, humility, and grace.”
Nowadays, many priests are moved around more often due to the shortage of men of God.
Fr Donovan (pictured below with Fr Currivan when they celebrated 60 years and 40 years in the priesthood in 2019) said Fr Currivan’s 47 years in the parish was a wonderful gift.
He baptised many in the parish who he later married and gave them all the sacraments in between.
“He had a wonderful rapport with the people of the parish - you can’t buy that. It’s all about rapport at the end of the day,” said Fr Donovan, who added that Fr Currivan's nephew - Fr Edward Cleary in Knockainey - was very good to his uncle.
READ ALSO: Limerick Council opens book of condolence for late Pope Francis
Fr Currivan certainly had a great rapport with Caherline NS pupils where he was on the board until recently.
Back in 2017, he mentioned he had lost his medals from the All-Ireland minor finals in 1952 and 1953.
The Confirmation class were asked to choose a special act of kindness and they decided to reunite Fr Currivan with his medals. They raised money to have new medals made by JJ Kenneally. They were then framed with photographs taken at Fr Currivan's two finals in Croke Park.
The school also held a party for his 90th birthday.
“He was a great man for a party too. He was a good singer and a great storyteller,” said Fr Donovan.
He said Fr Currivan had routines during his long life - prayer, Mass, visiting his sisters, a few pints with his wide circle of friends, watching The Sunday Game and attending the pastoral council, from which the Millennium Centre grew, and the Wednesday Club.
Fr Currivan's death notice asks that donations, if desired, go to the Wednesday Club in the Millennium Centre.
The Wednesday Club and every day of the week won’t be the same in the parish following Fr Currivan’s passing.
May he rest in peace.
Athea Vintage Club will hold their annual Road Run this Sunday, September 7
The female driver had to be taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital
Fresh, surplus vegetables from Irish farms reach local charities and community organisations across the Ballyhoura region
Devin Noonan and his team filming in Limerick, for their feature film ‘I Fear the Man I’ve Become’
Mary Kiely with her grandson Darragh O'Brien, Monaleen, on Limerick Greenway. The council’s attempts to promote tourism on the trail have been recognised by Chambers Ireland | PICTURE: Alison Miles
The man was led to believe his bank account was hacked
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
