IN MAY 1967 when Cahal Daly became a bishop, Ireland was undergoing radical change, the full implications of which were hardly realised.
"Going into Europe" was still in the future, the women's movement had hardly got off the ground and the Northern "troubles" were only a cloud on the horizon.
But three of the factors that made for social change were already operative. The economic revival was well under way, as was the consequent shift in the rural urban balance television was already a fact of life and, most relevant of all in the present context, the influence of the Second Vatican Council, which concluded in December 1965, was beginning to be felt.
"The great joy of my life," was how Cardinal Daly spoke of the council in a radio interview on his retirement. He had been an adviser to the then primate, Cardinal Conway, during its proceedings, and became his energetic collaborator in the implementation of its decisions and decrees in two main areas the renewal of "catechetics", involving the provision and promotion of a new programme of religious teaching in schools and the refurbishment of churches to meet the demands of a renewed liturgy.
In these two areas his immediate responsibility extended only to his own diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, but with the primate's support, and as head of two important episcopal commissions, his influence extended throughout the Irish church, and especially in the North.
Most of the work in both fields was far advanced when, in 1982, Dr Daly was appointed to Down and Connor, but he persisted in his concern and continued to consolidate what had been achieved. His work has been generally recognised as far reaching and timely, but its results have not always escaped criticism, notably in the area of art and architecture.
As to the "new" catechetics, as well as attracting the condemnation of those who regarded change as dangerous, if not subversive, reservations have centred on misgivings as to the long term effectiveness of the programme. But this hardly constitutes a serious judgment on what was at the time a remarkable response to a real challenge.
The most cogent criticism of the catechetics initiative may be seen as coming from those who would suggest that, excellent as far as it went, it was seriously flawed in making little or no provision for the theological form formation of adults. As to whether this charge can be justly laid at Cardinal Daly's door is another matter.
An assessment of the work of any Christian leader in our time must take account of the ecumenical dimension, which, on the Catholic side, was one of the most notable aspects of the post Vatican II era, not least in Ireland.
Its effects, cultural and social as well as ecclesiastical, have of course, varied quite sharply as between the Republic and the North. One can, however, claim that the prolonged miseries of the years 1969 to 1974 would have been far worse but for the real moves towards unity, or at least mutual understanding, within the divided Christian community.
In this context, one must acknowledge the leadership of Cahal Daly throughout the years especially after his appointment to Down and Connor, where he became "bishop of Belfast". During his eight years there, which saw some of the worst inhuman cities of the conflict, he persevered in his mission of peace and reconciliation. His courage throughout was admirable.
Courage indeed has been one of Cahal Daly's most outstanding qualities. It was never more apparent than in his famous appearance on The Late Late Show last season when his patience and dignity survived a quite unusually hostile reception which his statements received from participants and audience alike. It was brave of him to appear, and braver still to stick it out when a lesser man might have retreated or else given as good as he got.
He was, of course, by then Cardinal Primate, and his years in Armagh have been even more difficult. For while the Primacy carries no legal authority over the bishops and their flocks who constitute the Irish church, it does carry the privilege, or burden, of moral leadership.
The difference between this leadership and canonical control is not generally perceived inside or outside the church, and so, when allegations and revelations of sexual disorders among individual clergy reached the point of public scandal, the buck was commonly believed to stop at the Primate's desk. It might be added that the church is not the only institution which has found it difficult to adjust to the age of glasnost.
His published work has not been notable for its theological insights. His academic discipline has been in the neo-scholastic mould, his mind set appears to be basically traditional, though influenced by wide reading.
As Primate of All Ireland, he offered a considerable contrast to his two predecessors. He had neither the dominating presence of a William Conway, nor the outgoing warmth of a Tomas O Fiaich, whose achievements, not least in building ecumenical bridges, have never been fully acknowledged. It would be a pity if Cabal Daly's long and faithful service were also to be subjected to a premature undervaluation.