The funeral took place yesterday of the theologian, Father Brian Hearne C.S.Sp of the Holy Ghost Fathers, Kimmage and Kenya.
Born in Longford, he received his secondary education at Blackrock College after which he joined the congregation in 1957.
He made his first vows in 1958, going on to study philosophy at the Kimmage Mission Institute and English and French at UCD where he gained first place with 1st class honours in the BA.
He gained BD cum laude in 1966 and an STL in the Dominicum Angelicum University in Rome in 1968. Father Hearne was ordained in 1967.
He was appointed to Kenya in 1968 and from 1972 until 1986 he was director of studies at the Gaba Institute. During this period he edited the influential theological journal the African Ecclesial Review, and later served as a theological adviser to the East African Bishops. On his return to Ireland in 1991 Father Hearne lectured at the Kimmage Mission Institute.