Austin Flannery, OP (born Liam; 10 January, 1925 – 21 October, 2008) was an Irish Dominican priest, editor, publisher and social justice campaigner.

Biography

Born at

Rearcross Rearcross or Rear Cross () is a village in the townland of Reardnogy in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is in the Slieve Felim Mountains, 25 km east of Limerick on the R503 Thurles to Limerick road. The village is in the Roman Catholic par ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

on 10 January 1925, he was the eldest of seven children of William K. Flannery and his wife Margaret (née Butler). He was educated at St. Flannan's College in

Ennis Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...

, completing his secondary education at Dominican College, Newbridge,

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

.Obiturary - Fr. Austin Flannery
Bernard Treacy, OP, editor Doctrine and Life, Irish Independent, Sunday 2 November 2008. He joined the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

, in September 1944, led to studies in theology at St Mary's Priory, Tallaght, and then at

Blackfriars, Oxford Blackfriars Priory (formally the Priory of the Holy Spirit) is a Dominican religious community in Oxford, England. Its primary work is the administration of two educational institutions: Blackfriars Studium, a centre of theological studies in th ...

. Joining the Dominicans he chose the name ''Austin'', he was ordained a priest in 1950. He continued his studies at the Angelicum University in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. After his studies he taught Latin in

Newbridge College Newbridge College (), the Dominican College Newbridge, is a co-educational private fee-paying voluntary secondary school in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland, run by the Roman Catholic Dominican Order. The Dominican Friars founded Newbridge Dom ...

and then theology at

Glenstal Abbey Glenstal Abbey is a Catholic Church, Catholic Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of the Annunciation located in Murroe, County Limerick, Ireland. It is dedicated to Saint Joseph and Saint Columba. In July 2024, Col ...

County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...

. Flannery edited the Dominican bi-monthly journal entitled '' Doctrine and Life'' from 1958 to 1988, while at St. Saviour’s Priory, Dublin where he also served as prior from 1957 to 1960. He also edited the ''Religious Life Review''. During and after the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

he made available in English all the documents from the event. Flannery's campaigning to end apartheid in South Africa, led to involvement with

Kader Asmal Abdul Kader Asmal (8 October 1934 – 22 June 2011) was a South African politician. He was a professor of human rights at the University of the Western Cape, chairman of the council of the University of the North and vice-president of the ...

, and the founding the Irish

Anti-Apartheid Movement The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-white population who were oppressed by the policies ...

, of which he served as chairman and president. In the late sixties his campaigning on behalf of the

Dublin Housing Action Committee The Dublin Housing Action Committee (DHAC) was a 1960s protest group formed in response to housing shortages in Dublin, Ireland's capital city. It quickly moved to direct action and successfully squatted buildings to oppose redevelopment plans. ...

, due to its association with republicans and left wing activists, led him to being accused of being a communist. He was dismissed in the Dail by the then Minister for Finance,

Charles Haughey Charles James Haughey (; 16 September 1925 – 13 June 2006) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who led four governments as Taoiseach: December 1979 to June 1981, March to December 1982, March 1987 to June 1989, and June 1989 to February 1992 ...

, as "a gullible cleric". He died of a heart attack aged 83 on 21 October 2008, and is buried in the Dominican plot at

Glasnevin Cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery () is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasnevin, Dublin, in two part ...

.Fr Austin Flannery OP - RIP
Clerical Whispers, Wednesday, 22 October 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flannery, Austin 1925 births 2008 deaths Alumni of Blackfriars, Oxford Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery Irish Dominicans Irish magazine editors 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Irish schoolteachers People educated at Newbridge College People educated at St Flannan's College Christian clergy from County Tipperary Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni