The involvement of Perth’s first Archbishop in Ireland’s history that is written in blood has inspired missionaries in the Clune families that are now spread around the world
By Anthony Barich
DOMINICAN missionary Fr Malachy Clune is one of many priests and Religious whose ministries reflect the legacy of Archbishop Patrick Clune, the first Archbishop of Perth.
Fr Malachy, 77, the second cousin of the late Archbishop, is living proof that missionary fervour is in the Clunes’ blood. Sent to the West Indies after his ordination with 56 others on the Feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel in 1960, he has since established numerous port chaplaincies throughout the Caribbean in between other postings in Central and South America and East Africa.
The late Archbishop Clune also passionately wanted to be a missionary. He joined the legendary All Hallows College in Dublin, which supplied many of Australia’s clergy over the last 100 and more years.
“Missionary blood runs through our veins and it still does – there are vocations coming from amongst our clan to this very day – especially as nuns,” Fr Malachy said while in Perth to concelebrate a 16 March Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral marking the centenary of Archbishop Clune’s consecration as Bishop.
“There’s a huge number of Clune families in Dublin, County Clare and County Wicklow, and he had a great influence as many followed him into Religious life as priests and nuns – many of whom also followed him to Australia.”
Even the children of the principal of Fr Malachy’s old Catholic primary school, where Archbishop Clune had heavily promoted vocations, were affected. Of the principal’s four boys and four girls, three boys became priests and three girls became nuns.
Archbishop Clune led by heroic example.
“He was prepared to leave his family and county and pastorally take care of the Irish in Australia,” said Fr Malachy, whose birth name was John.
Not surprisingly, “I was influenced by Archbishop Clune in my own way,” Fr Malachy said, having come to Perth 15 years ago to pray at his Redemptorist grave at Karrakatta.
Fr Malachy did extensive research, much of which helped Fr Christopher Dowd OP produce the article featured in The Record on 2 March.
Although he was only two and living in the Clunes’ original home of County Clare when the Archbishop died, Fr Malachy grew up hearing the stories of the legendary Patrick Clune as told by his father and relatives.
He recalls being told how the Archbishop saved an Irish Bishop from assassination.
Archbishop Clune had been recruited to negotiate peace between British Prime Minister Lloyd George and Sinn Fein’s General Michael Collins.
He was travelling to London when he heard that the notorious Black and Tans planned to kill Killaloe Bishop Michael Fogarty who had fearlessly championed the Irish nationalist cause.
According to Fr Malachy, the Black and Tans were a marauding army of thugs, former soldiers and released prisoners the British Government recruited to suppress the Irish uprising which ended up attacking civilians, burning farms and killing their stock.
Clune, who had spies in the IRA, sent an urgent cable to Bishop Fogarty to meet him in Dublin. The prelate reluctantly agreed and, though the Black and Tans surrounded Fogarty’s house and burned it to the ground, he had escaped due to Clune’s summons.
“It’s all part of the Anglo-Irish history that’s written in blood,” Fr Malachy said.
As Fr Dowd related some of this at the 16 March Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral, Fr Malachy said many of the Clunes present could relate to it as “many of my relatives were shot as nationalist leaders”.
A common, seemingly “humane” practice for the British Government, he said, was to ship its political opponents to Australia rather than have them killed.
The eventual peace deal signed in 1922 that granted independence to 26 of the 32 Irish Counties was due in part to the groundwork done by Archbishop Clune, Fr Malachy said. This “extracurricular” work of Clune’s is more amazing, he said, when one considers it took up to eight weeks to travel to Europe by ship every time he went over.
This thought occurred to Fr Malachy as he was flying over the Pacific heading to Australia – such an easy and fast way of transport compared with what his second cousin had to endure.
“It’s inspiring how he achieved so much. He was everywhere and wanted everywhere, and all the time building the Church in WA, including St Mary’s Cathedral; all with no money but plenty of faith,” said Fr Malachy, who took his Religious name from the 12th century saint who succeeded St Patrick as Primate of Ireland.
“That’s the story of every missionary – we’re told to go and the Lord provides.”