Athboy native priest celebrates golden jubilee

Athboy native Fr Seamus Fleming, a member of the Holy Ghost Order, returned to his native town recently to celebrate the golden jubilee of his ordination. Fr Fleming, a native of Ballyfallon, was ordained by the then Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Charles McQuaid, on 10th July 1960 at Clonliffe. He said his first Mass in Athboy the following day, followed by Kildalkey on the Tuesday and Ballivor on the Wednesday, the home parishes of his parents. On the Monday after his ordination, he was presented with a chalice by Athboy National School teachers and pupils. He had attended the school from 1941-1945. Following ordination, he spent another year studying before going to Gambia in West Africa on missionary work, where he was to spend 20 years. On return to Ireland, he became a teacher at Blackrock College. While based at the Holy Ghost Father's base at Ardbraccan, Navan, he was appointed chaplain of Kells CBS in 1985, the year of his silver jubilee. He helped to introduce new sporting ideas into the school, like rugby, cricket, hockey, polo and equestrian, and organised top international rugby players to visit the school, such as Willie John McBride, Ollie Campbell, Hugo McNeill, Phil Orr and Tony Ward. He also organised trips to London, Rome, Germany, France and Austria. The CBS and Kells Vocational School amalgamated in 1988 to become Kells Community School. Fr Fleming is now working in Dublin to help rehabilitate drug addicts. The jubilee celebrations in Athboy were attended by relatives, friends, old classmates and neighbours. Judge Patricia Ryan of the Circuit Court, a relative of Fr Fleming, attended with her husband, the Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan.