The death has occurred in Windfield Nursing Home, Dunboyne, of Revd Brother Paul Hurley, founder and former editor of The Word, the magazine of the Divine Word Missionaries (SVD), aged 91.

Reverend Dr Vincent Twomey SVD, Acting Provincial Superior of the Divine Word Missionaries, paid the following tribute to the late Brother Hurley.

"I am greatly saddened by the passing today of my great friend and colleague Brother Paul Hurley. Brother Paul founded and edited the monthly magazine The Word for 40 years. At its height the circulation reach of The Word was circa 250,000 copies worldwide (170,000 in Ireland alone) with special editions for Britain and Australia. Brother Paul edited the magazine, wrote thousands of articles including interviews with famous personalities in sport, literature, the arts, Church and politics.

"His most celebrated interview was with the taoiseach of the day in 1966, Mr Sean Lemass. At the time it was the most prestigious pictorial magazine in Ireland and Britain - either secular or religious. The Word was renowned for its extraordinary illustrations, initially in black and white and later in colour. As editor Brother Paul was responsible for the design, layout and proofreading of the The Word, whose reputation was wide recognised across the media fraternity. He was always an exemplary Religious."

Paul Hurley was born in Dublin, of West Cork parents, and attended Synge CBS in Dublin. He entered the Divine Word Missionaries in Donamom, Co Roscommon (pictured) in 1948. After retiring as editor he spent some years on the foreign missions in Papua New Guinea. For most of his life he was an active member of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society in Roscommon and Maynooth.