O’Connell ‘a humanitarian with compassion for weak’

Former government minister and ceann comhairle John O’Connell has been remembered as “a great humanitarian who did great good in his world”.

Mourners at the requiem Mass of Dr O’Connell, who died last Friday aged 87, heard of his extensive career as both a medical doctor and politician, which saw him elected at various stages for Labour, Fianna Fáil, and as an independent, as well as being founder of the Irish Medical Times.

In his homily, Fr Conor Harper SJ said Dr O’Connell was a man of many parts who had always shown compassion for the poor and the weak. The priest said Dr O’Connell had been hugely affected by the death of his sister from TB when she was 16, which propelled him to being a man of action.