Msgr. Seán O'Flaherty

Fr Flaherty, may God bless you as you embark on your journey.

Thank you for all the hard work you put into the youth group at the Cathedral, of which I was once a member. Thank you for including myself and my brother on a trip to lourdes. It meant a lot to me and came at the beginning of my return to the faith.

Thank you for your encouragement down through the years. Thank you for agreeing to marry myself and my husband. Although you were failing in health and ended up concelebrating with another priest, I really appreciated your presence.

Over the years I saw less and less of you, and I'm sorry to say, I didn't make the time to visit you since having children.

However I would like you to know that you were appreciated, respected , and that Galway was a better place because of you.

A Mhuire Mháthair, ‘tá lán de ghrást’
Go raibh tú taobh liom, Ar uair mo bháis
Ave Maria, mo ghrá Ave,
Is tusa mo mháthair ‘s máthair Dé

My condolences to Fr.Sean’s family have great memories of him in St. Mary’s as a boarder he was very good to all of us he was President when I was there,very fair I was in Lourdes as a helper, then we went on touring lovely memories of my time in St,Mary’s now he can enjoy his well earned retirement in heaven rest in peace Fr.Sean. Now Living in California

My deepest condolences to all the O'Flaherty family, extended family and friends on the passing of Msgr Seán.

Great memories of him during my time as a pupil of St.Marys College.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

My sincere condolences to Msgn. O'Flaherty's family on his passing. Msgn. O'Flaherty was a wonderful PP in the Galway Cathedral and a great friend to his parishioners. RIP.

Our deepest sympathies on the death of Msgr. Séan to his nephews, niece, relatives, Bishop Duignan, Priests of the Diocese and his many many friends. He was a true Christian with a kind word for everyone he met, he especially loved meeting up with people from Kilbeacanty and having the chat.
May his kind and gentle soul Rest in Peace

Sincere sympathy to Fr Seán’s family and his many friends.
Since getting to know Fr Seán a few years ago we are so grateful for the lovely and natural way he embraced us into the family that is St Mary’s Nursing Home. We want to thank Fr Seán for his warmth, his gentleness and his prayerfulness. We will miss you but we know you are now in the safe embrace of Our Lady and her Son and you will continue to pray for us. Rest in eternal peace Fr Seán

I’m just reading all the lovely condolences here. Fr. Sean you truly were one in a million. Rip.

Sincere Sympathy to Monsignor Sean’s family, his fellow clergymen and his many friends .
May he Rest in Peace..

Condolences to all the O'Flaherty families on the sad passing of Msgr. Sean.
No doubt a life so well lived and a huge influence on me from my time in St. Mary's.

Comhbhrón ó chroí le muintir Msgr. Seán ar a bhás.
Bhí sé ina phríomhoide ar Choláiste Muire nuair a d'fhreastal mé ar an gcoláiste ag tús na 90'í. Bhí an-mheas aige ar an nGaeilge agus is iomaí géabh a stop sé mé ag fiorú cén chaoi a raibh leaids óga Chonamara agus an raibh muid ag socrú isteach sa scoil. Fear uasal, cineálta, tuiscinneach agus cóir.
Leaba i measc na Naomh go raibh aige.

Deepest sympathy to the O'Flaherty
family on the sad passing of Monsignor Seán. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

Sincere Sympathy to Fr. Sean's family and his many friends on his sad passing. Fr. Sean was a very good friend of my father Jimmy Cusack from Kilbeacanty they went to school and played hurling together and both loved education and the Irish language. They remained life long friends and enjoyed many days in each other's company down through the years. Sadly Jimmy was unable to attend Fr. Sean's funeral due to illness. It was a privilege to have known Fr. Sean, on his many trips and mass he said in Roscommon for our families. Rest in peace Fr. Sean.

Very sorry to hear of Msgr. O'Flaherty's passing - my condolences to his family & friends.

As a past pupil of St. Marys I have fond memories of my time as a boarder there, and of his stewardship. As noted by others, he was strict but fair.
It's only in retrospect that you realise just how challenging his role was, and how well he performed it.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Our sympathies on the death of Msgr. Sèan to his nephews, niece, relatives, Bishop Duignan, Priests, the St. Mary’s family & friends. In St Mary’s he set & lived by the highest standards. In his class you’d work hard, when he was on duty there was no messing. It was fitting that he was in the Hogan Stand in 1980 as Joe Connolly whom he trained in hurling lifted the McCarthy Cup with an inspiring speech to gladden the heart of his ‘Gaeilge’ teacher Fr. Sean. One of the greatest legacies of his life is the character he nurtured in his students.
Míle Buíochas.

So sorry to hear of Fr Flatherty”s passing it brought back great memories of my years in Marys having probably the best teacher both in the classroom and out in the front pitch training us for for Connacht& All IIreland hurling Championship in 1976 which we lost to Good Counsel New Ross ‘76.He was strict but very fair to all and treated everyone equally.My sympathies to his nephews& niece and to all his Clergymen. May he Rest in Peace Amen 🙏🙏🙏.

Sincere condolences on the passing of Fr. Sean, who marked and celebrated so many milestones with our family over the years. And sending love from our mam Mary (Conway) Crilly. Fondly remembered. Adrian, Jane, Ben & Cian Crilly

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Father Sean and sincere condolences to his family. As a past pupil of St. Marys I have fond memories of his time in charge. Fergal McEvaddy (student 1989-1994)

You were one of nature’s gentlemen, an understanding teacher a master hurling coach, thank you you gave me my first hurley.
A Athair Sean fear uasal ba onóir mór dom aithne a bheith agam ort.
Slàn abhaile go na flaithis duit.

So sad to hear of Msgr Sean's passing, fond memories of Fr Sean our next door neighbour and all the fun an laughter we had all them yrs ago , until he left to join the priesthood , Fr Sean will be sadly missed by all his peers and fellow priests , rest in eternal peacenow Fr Sean

It is with great sadness that we learnt of the death of Msgr. Seán O Flaherty.
Msgr Seán was everything a good Christian should be, he was one sound man, kind and generous in every way possible. He had a great rapport with the altar servers in St. Peter and Paul's Church, Coolough, (Castlegar Parish). They were so fond of him. We were so lucky to have had him with us here in our parish. Heaven has gained another Saint.
Slán abhaile Fr. Seán.

Fr. O' was a friend for over 50 years. We first met when i was a member of the Legion of Mary and a volunteer in Bethlehem House night shelter. He had founded the shelter a few years earlier. In my experience he was kind and supportive to both volunteers and all the women that availed of the service. On many occasions he negotiated with public bodies to secure accommodation for them. Also i remember on one Sunday in winter he driving a few of us to a Cork hospital to visit a young single woman after she gave birth to a baby . We arrived to her delight with baby clothes and gifts. She did not have any visitors or family around.
He was a lovely man and a true gentleman and i thank him for that.
I am happy that Anne, Mary and I got to visit him before Christmas .We recalled and laughed about the good old times. We also enjoyed a cup of tea courtesy of St Mary's nursing home.
Rest in peace Father O'.

Sincere sympathies on the passing of Fr. Sean , may his gentle soul rest in peace .

Our deepest sympathies to Fr. Seán’s family and his many many friends. All who knew him in Kilbeacanty remember him with great affection and thanks for the many times he supported us and our families. May he rest in eternal peace.

May his gentle soul rest in peace, I looked after his Mother in her later years and he was very kind to me. RIP.

Comhbhròn le muintir Msgr Seàn agus a chomhbhràithre sna deoise. Leaba i measc na Naomh agus a sheacht sinsear go raibh aige.

Sincere condolences to the O'Flaherty family, we couldn't get to Galway with bad weather here in Clare. Lovely funeral Mass, fine tribute by Bishop Brendan and the choir really
contributed to the atmosphere.
May Msgr Seán rest in heavenly peace, reunited now with Joan and Mairéad.

Sincere Condolences to the O’Flaherty family. May Msgr. Seán Rest In Peace.

Sincere condolences to Msgr. Seán O Flahertys families and friends & to the Bishop & Priests of the diocese. May his gentle soul rest in eternal peace.🙏

My deepest condolences to fr o flahertys nieces and nephews on the sad passing of the Msgr ..A decent and fair man whos passion for the college and students was always evident

My deepest sympathies to the Msgr. O' Flaherty family. Msgr. Sean was a lifetime friend of the family. May Msgr. Sean rest in peace.

Just heard that Fr Seán has died, may God be good to him.
Met him many years ago in Montfort House, a forerunner of the Simon Shelter. He had a talent for finding a connection with people which you wouldn't really expect as he
presented as quite severe, I bet the lads in Mary's would know what I mean!
Those connections were about sport, his beloved hurling, politics, travel, religion, his love of Lourdes and France, family (his sister here and the sister above in Dublin) teaching and he had the Gaeilge to chat with the men from Connemara.
A life well-lived, may he rest in eternal peace.

Sincere sympathy to the nephews,niece , extended family and Diocese of Galway on the passing of Monsignor Sean. Great priest,teacher,sportsman etc.Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis.

Go gcúití Dia do shaothar leat, a Sheáin. Chuaigh tú i gcion go mór orm mar mhúinteoir is mar dhuine. Ar dheis Dé go raibh d’anam.

Rest In Peace, Monsignor. Your contribution to Galway life and more importantly the people here was enormous.

Deepest sympathy to Flatherty family on death of Monsignor Sean May he rest in peace

Sincere sympathies to all Monsignor Sean’s family on his passing.

We thank him for all he did in St Mary's in our time there in both the educational and sporting fronts. Many great memories on both the Hurling and Football fields.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Fond memories of Fr Sean growing up in Kilbeacanty. Sincere sympathies to all his relatives and friends. May his genle soul rest in peace. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis

Deepest sympathies to all the relatives and friends of Fr Sean, a man who influenced thousands of students by his actions and dedication to education sport and his deep faith. May he rest in peace, at dheis Dé go raibh a anaim dheilís

Beannacht Dé lé hanam An Msgr. Seán Ó Flatharta agus suaimhneas siorraí do i measc a sheacht sinsear.

Sincere condolences to Rev. Msgr. Sean O'Flaherty and to his family and fellow clergy. May he enjoy his eternal reward in Heaven. Remembered him in school as a firm but fair teacher and President who looked out for our best interests and encouraged us to follow our strengths (even if not so talented on the school playing pitch!). Generous with his time, taking groups of pupils overland from our school to Lourdes for several successive years during summer holidays. Very fond memories of my 1983 overland trip in the school minibus, expertly piloted by Fr. Sean in the days before Google, GPS, the Euro and direct ferries to France. That trip gave me a love for France and I have driven there several times on holiday. Still recall his sense of humour and dedication to prayer on that trip. So blessed to have been able to visit him recently and recall those days.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Sincere sympathies to the O'Flaherty relatives and friends on the passing of Fr. Sean. May he Rest in Peace

Sincere sympathy to the family and friends of Monsignor Seán. While in St. Mary's,for many years he brought a group of students to Lourdes as helpers on the pilgrimage. Their contribution was always appreciated.Our Lady of Lourdes pray for him.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Sincere sympathy to The O'Flaherty family on the sad passing of Monsignor Sean. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

Sincere sympathy to Fr Seans family he tried his best to teach me french in St Mary's he was one of the good ones our paths crossed several times down through the years always interested in how i was doing and how my family was

Msgr. O Flaherty ,was a real gentleman with great integrity and nobility of character. He was a wonderful principal who led by example. There was nobody like Fr. O’ Flaherty.Pat , my husband taught in St. Mary’s and admired him greatly. St. Mary’s was an extension of our family.We are all saddened by his passing.

My condolences to Msgr Sean’s family, friends and the clergy of the diocese. As our teacher, mentor and guardian in St Mary’s he managed to get the best out of everybody. He treated everyone with the utmost respect and the words “formidable and fair” keep coming up in conversation. He had earned his eternal reward. Rest in peace Fr Sean. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis

My condolences to Msgr Séan's family, Bishop Michael, Bishop Emeritus Brendan, the priests of the diocese, his relatives and many friends.

Fr Seán made a significant contribution to St. Mary's College over many years, as teacher and Principal, encouraging both sporting and academic excellence of students.

Sincere sympathy to Msgr Sean’s family, his fellow clergymen and his many many friends. His death will leave a void in so many lives. He always had time to stop and chat and was a gifted listener. May his kind and gentle soul rest in peace.

Many years have passed since I was in Mary's, but still remember Fr Sean as a decent man. He helped me get a summer job, that summer led me to a career I'd never have had save for him. He had a great memory for lads names and found a talent in all of us, whether academic, sporting, practical or people skills, his ability was to find a positive and encourage that.
Condolences to his family and friends, there is no doubt that he will rest in eternal peace.

Sincere condolences to the family and friends of Fr. Seán.

Sincere sympathy to the family of Monsignor Seán.
May he rest in peace.

Comhbhrón ó chroí lena mhuintir is le hEaspag, iarEaspag is sagairt na Deoise ar bhás an Athair Seán. An-lách linne uile is coláiste samhraidh i gCol Mhuire fadó agus go minic ó shin. Leaba i measc na naomh go raibh aige.

Sincere condolences to the family and friends of Monsignor O’Flaherty. A man who commanded respect, who was firm but fair and thoroughly decent. He seemed to make it a point of learning every pupil’s name. A nice personal touch.

Every Garda I have met who came from Galway in the past 25 years was almost always a past pupil of St. Mary’s. Monsignor Sean is probably the reason for that.

Sincere condolences to O 'Flaherty family on Sean's passing. A gentleman who will fly straight in the Door above. RIP Fr. SEAN.

We would like to extend our sincere sympathy to Msgr. Seán's nephews and niece, relatives, fellow priests and many friends on his sad passing. May his gentle soul rest in peace

Sincere sympathy to all who knew Msgr. Sean O'Flaherty. Despite his dedication to the welfare of all his students and his work as Parish Priest of the Cathedral he devoted much time and energy to looking after the needs and welfare of all that passed through Bethlehem House with a great sense of humour and empathy.
May he rest in peace.

I can still remember his brown leather folder which he carried with him around the school and the hush that used to come over the Study Hall when you heard his footsteps coming. For those of us lucky enough to have been students of St. Mary's we were luckier still to have been there when he was President. A straight honest warm decent respectable man and I am certain heaven awaits him.

Our condolences to Msgn .Sean’s family and fellow priests He was a neighbour of ours growing up and when we met him he was always so friendly and delighted to meet and connect with a fellow Kilbecanty person a place very close to his heart . He was a fantastic teacher by all accounts and held in very high esteem. Rest in peace Monsignor Sean in your native parish .

Sincere condolences to the family and friends of Msgr. Seán on his sad passing. Msgr. Seán was the President in St.Marys during my time there and we had a good catch up a while ago thankfully. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

I first met Fr Sean in the 60’s when I volunteered in Bethlehem House, night shelter for homeless women. He was an inspiration to all who met him. I have been friends with him ever since and am so happy to have visited him a few weeks before Christmas. He was in good spirits then. Rest in peace Fr Sean. You were one in a million.