Priest who braved sectarian violence dies

A priest who braved attacks on his home to say Mass at Harryville during the loyalist protests has died.

Fr Frank Mullan, 81, died in Dublin yesterday after a long battle against illness.

He led his Co Antrim congregation during 20 months of conflict from September 1996 when loyalists began targeting his Church of Our Lady in a dispute over parading.

His car was set on fire and a builder’s block put through the window of his house during the trouble.

Fr Sean Connolly, a Ballymena priest, said Fr Mullan was highly regarded.

“He was a very popular man. He was at Harryville for about four years but he certainly made his mark during that time there,” he said.

“At the time of the Harryville protests they set fire to his car and they came and put a builder’s block through the room.

“He was well-regarded locally and people from here kept contact with him after he left. He fought against illness and never gave in to it.”

The protests began after the Parades Commission restricted the route of a loyal order parade at nearby Dunloy.

Last year the church was targeted for paint and graffiti attacks and it was set on fire by arsonists in 2000.

Loyalist protesters mounted a weekly picket outside the Harryville church during Saturday evening Mass between September 1996 and May 1998.

The protests were called off shortly after the Good Friday Agreement received 71% support in a referendum.

SDLP councillor Declan O’Loan paid tribute to the cleric.

“He had a great zest for life, and was totally humble. He was very well read and had a wealth of experience,” he said.

“He was fond of music, good food and conversation. He served on the mission fields, and during the Nigerian civil war, was forced out of Biafra at gunpoint.”