A Different View with Dave O’Connell

There was a time when most towns, village and parishes in Ireland had one of their own on the missions – a priest or nun who returned every couple of years to great fanfare and funding, before they headed off to some place their old friends had never even heard of.

They were quite rightly lauded for their sacrifice and unerring commitment to helping improve the lives of those less fortunate – but as to what they actually did, nobody was quite sure and they didn’t spend much time deliberating on it anyway.

When the missionary priest or nun returned home, there was inevitably a fundraiser or two – a church collection or a dance in the parish hall – to give them money to fund their work.

And in that way, it felt like a direct connection.

Ireland has a long history of exporting its brightest and its best – but one could argue that none, collectively, had a greater impact than these missionary priests and nuns.

Truth be told, religion was well down the list of things they brought to Africa; Christian though they were themselves, the practicalities of life meant that food, shelter and survival had to come well ahead of faith.

And while back home, they were mere missionary nuns and priests, in Africa or Central America, they were trailblazers, community leaders; they were also doctors, nurses, teachers who overcame incredible odds and naivety to make an impact so positive that it defies description.

And most admirably of all, they lived their lives among the poorest of the poor, almost devoid of worldly comforts or at times even basic requirements like water or shelter.

These days, there remains a scattering of Irish missionaries in these far-flung places because, as vocations declined at home, so too has the level of volunteers prepared to devote their lives to the poorest of the poor on the other side of the world.

Those still there continue to do extraordinary work in the face of conflict, health crises and abject poverty – and because they do it modestly, we never know the huge difference they make.

Misean Cara is the collective body for Irish missionary organisations – and it is far from a spent force. Many of those working with these groups may now be from the community itself rather than these shores, but it is still Irish money that helps to make life better.