Bishop Willie Walsh’s legacy

BISHOP Willie Walsh’s 16-year tenure as Bishop of Killaloe will come to an end on Sunday afternoon following the episcopal ordination of his successor, Fr Kieran O’Reilly. He will be a hard act to follow. In every facet of his life, he has shown huge commitment and leadership.
As a teacher, priest, GAA mentor, religious and social commentator, Willie Walsh has left his mark on Irish society. He has a modern outlook on life and certainly has the common touch, which has endeared him to the general public at large.
As bishop, his frank and sometimes emotional responses to controversial issues, especially relating to clerical sex abuse of children, has quite frequently attracted national media attention.
Bishop Walsh has never shied away from controversy. His readiness to question issues that have been enshrined in the teachings and traditions of the Catholic Church is refreshing. Last year, he challenged Pope Benedict’s ban on discussing the ordination of women to the priesthood. He called for an open debate on the controversial subject. Bishop Walsh has also urged discussion of mandatory priestly celibacy.
The outgoing Bishop of Killaloe has expressed sadness about the Catholic Church’s attitude towards homosexuality and the policy of refusing the Eucharist to couples in second unions. This, no doubt, has been influenced by his involvement with ACCORD (formerly the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council) and his work with marriage tribunals from local to national level.
Bishop Walsh has admitted to giving his personal money to men who alleged that they were sexually abused by priests and also recently confirmed that a €1.5m trust fund was established by the diocese to “help provide healing for people for people hurt by clerical sex abuse”. On the issue he said, “There has been no other aspect of my ministry as a bishop that has occupied so much time, so much energy, carried with it so much pain and shame”.
The bishop has always been very supportive of Travellers and caused quite a storm some years ago when he allowed a number of families park their caravans on the grounds of his home in Ennis when they had no place else to go. He has also volunteered to mediate in an ongoing dispute between Traveller families.
While born in Roscrea, County Tipperary, Bishop Walsh has lived for more than 50 years in County Clare, taking into account his time as a student and teacher at St Flannan’s College and his subsequent appointment to Ennis Cathedral. Appointed as Coadjutor Bishop of Killaloe in June 1994, he was appointed bishop of the diocese later that year following the death of Bishop Michael Harty.
In retirment, Bishop Walsh will, no doubt, have a great deal to offer in terms of advice and support for his successor, Bishop O’Reilly and all the other clergy in the diocese.  His wealth of knowledge and experience is a valuable resource that the Catholic Church can make good use of.

Our Oral History Tradition

THE history of County Clare is an intriguing one from a social, cultural and political perspective. While much of it has been well documented, there is also a rich vein of history, especially that which stretches into the distant past, to which we must be thankful to the guardians of the oral tradition.
Tales of early settlers, details of great battles and the political conniving between the clans that laid claim to various parts of Clare over the centuries, recollections of major tragedies caused by disease of adverse weather, or simply the stories of ordinary everyday life for farmers and villagers, all survived due to people’s gift of storytelling. History and folklore merge seamlessly along the way to create a priceless story of our heritage.
Quite a body of stories have been committed to print or recorded for broadcast to join the ever-expanding record of our nation’s history. Of course, so vast is our history and folklore that a great deal will still depend on the oral tradition to continue to pass it on to future generations.
It is quite appropriate that in National Heritage Week, it has been announced that Ennis will host a new university certificate course, which is the first of its kind in Ireland and involves introducing participants to the world of oral history and folklore.
The University of Limerick Certificate in Oral Heritage Studies, which will be based at the Ennis Regional Learning Centre in Arthur’s Row aims to address the omission of a wealth of recorded national and local oral narrative sources.
“From the earliest times, oral accounts of events have formed the basis of history, locally and nationally, as well as playing a huge role in family and community memory. Oral accounts have in this way formed a vital part of our heritage, yet heritage studies programmes in Irish third-level institutions to date have focused on the built environment, archaeology and literary heritage,” course director, Dr Catherine O’Connor, Department of History at UL explained.
The course will run part-time for two 12-week terms this autumn and spring 2011, beginning on Thursday, September 9 and participants are required to have completed their Leaving Certificate or approved equivalent.
The programme aims to provide a supportive and stimulating context for oral history research and will train students in interviewing and digitisation, as well as report writing and archival skills. It is suited to anyone working in the heritage, tourism and business sectors or even adult learners returning to study.
Also contributing to the course will be Cuimhneamh an Chláir, the Clare Oral History and Folklore Group. Project co-ordinator, Tomás Mac Conmara said the provision of a third-level course focused on oral heritage is a major development and one that enhances significantly the role of oral history and folklore within the Ennis learning centre. 
“The study of oral history offers powerful insights into the broader discipline of historical research and as a group who are eager to see that its value is recognised more broadly,” he said.
The new course represents a milestone, not only in the development of third-level education in Clare but also in helping us to broaden our knowledge of history and folklore in a local and national context.