Fr Mullan’s life to be celebrated in song

THE life of much-loved parish priest, Fr Kevin Mullan, will be celebrated through music, song and dance during a special remembrance event at the Strule Arts Centre, Omagh, at the end of the month.

Titled ‘An Evening to Celebrate and Honour Fr Kevin Mullan’, the event will take place on Monday, April 29 at 7.30pm and it will feature participation by a number of groups which the beloved late priest was involved in, including Churches Forum, Omagh Community Youth Choir, the Ulster Project, West Tyrone Feis Dancers and Omagh Music Society.

Fr Kevin – as he was affectionately known – died last May, having last served as parish priest in Drumquin.

Originally from Omagh and having been ordained to the priesthood in 1971, Fr Kevin served for over 50 years as a priest and was renowned for his cross-community and ecumenical work, particularly for his care and assistance to the community and surrounding localities at the time of the 1998 Omagh bomb.

Among his many other achievements, he was described as ‘ahead of his time’ in 1984, when, during his time as Parish Priest in Limavady, he shook hands with local Presbyterian minister, Reverend David Armstrong, on Christmas Day, offering a message of goodwill throughout the community at the height of the Troubles.

Compère for the upcoming celebration will be Gerarda McCann, and the event further hopes to shine a bright light on Fr Mullan’s inimitable life’s contribution to our community.

“Fr Mullan was a loyal and faithful participant in the work of the Forum, from its earliest days and many other aspects of Community Relations,” said a spokesperson from the Churches Forum. “He died in May last year, after a life of service to his church, to our local community, and our youth.”

Admission tickets are free-of-charge, but there will be an opportunity to give a voluntary donation at the end of the evening to the work of the Ulster Project – a cause of which Fr Kevin was closely involved.

Tickets are available now from the Strule Arts Centre by calling 028 82247831.