Fr Oliver O’Reilly, the priest who spoke out about the attack on the Quinn executive, Kevin Lunney, has died.
The Co Cavan priest made headlines in 2019 when he blamed “a Mafia-style group with its own godfather” for the attack on businessman Kevin Lunney.
Two detectives called to the priest after he delivered a scathing homily at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan, at the time, condemning the “paymaster or paymasters” behind the abduction and torture of Lunney, a director of Quinn Industrial Holdings, a local building materials company.
O’Reilly said he did not tell the two gardaí who he believed the paymaster or paymasters were when questioned. They asked him for a hard copy of his homily and whether he had any evidence to back what he said. The priest replied that he had “no hard evidence about anything”.
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In November 2019, then-taoiseach Leo Varadkar expressed his support for O’Reilly for “offering moral leadership in a difficult time”.
Businessman Sean Quinn complained about the homily to senior church officials, including then pope Francis’s secretary of state, two cardinals and the papal nuncio to Ireland. He had said that he had “no hand, act or part” in the attack on Lunney.
O’Reilly, formerly of Cloncose, Cornafean, Co Cavan, died “peacefully in the loving care of his family” and the staff of the Cherry Ward, Connolly Hospital and St Francis Hospice Blanchardstown on Saturday, according to his notice on RIP.ie.
He is predeceased by his parents, John and Rose, sister Angela Masterson and his brother Seamus. He is survived by his sister Rosemary Nolan, his brothers Sean, Frank, and PJ and wider family.
His funeral takes place at the Sacred Heart Church, Arva, Co Cavan, on Tuesday.
