Death of former head of Opus Dei in Ireland

MONSIGNOR Richard Mulcahy, the former head of Opus Dei in Ireland, has died. He was 78.

The Monsignor, who was the son of Lieut-Gen Patrick A Mulcahy, former chief of staff of the Defence Forces (1955-1960), a nephew of the former leader of Fine Gael and minister for education Gen Richard Mulcahy, is survived by his sister Olive.

Msgr Mulcahy was ordained a priest of Opus Dei in 1959 and was counsellor of the organisation in Ireland from 1961 to 1975. The monsignor was appointed a judge of the National Marriage Appeals Tribunal in 1986, and was its presiding judge from 2003 until his retirement in 2005. He was appointed a monsignor or domestic prelate by the Holy See in 2005.

Educated at Belvedere College, he entered the Cadet School of the Army in 1950.

He was ordained a priest of Opus Dei in 1959, having completed his theological studies in Rome, where he lived alongside Saint Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei. He obtained a doctorate in canon law at Rome’s Angelicum University.