Leon Ó Morcháin (Fr Leo Morahan) had a peaceful passing on Christmas Day, 2016, at the age of 91. He was born on October 28th, 1925, and was named Christopher Leo.
He grew up in Louisburgh, Co Mayo, before going to college and returned to Louisburgh for the last 16 years of his life, which he enjoyed to the fullest.
As a young teenager, he told us, he had addressed crowds (after Masses) as proxy for his father when he was running for local elections. This was the start of Leo’s public speaking, a role for which he is fondly remembered, especially within the GAA, where his oratorical skills were revered. He was ordained on June 22nd, 1952, and taught science and maths in St Mary’s College Galway from 1952. A former St Mary’s student said, “He was universally liked at the school. Anyone who spoke of him always had a smile on their faces when telling of his latest comment. We could have done with more like him but God made only one Father Leo.”
He served in Gort parish and Our Lady’s College in Gort from 1968 and then Saint Patrick’s parish in Galway from 1972. He was parish priest in Rosmuc from 1975 to 1988, when he took up the post of parish priest in Bearna, Galway.
He retired to Louisburgh in July 2000, where he continued to help out in the Kilgeever parish of his baptism. He celebrated 60 years as a priest in 2012 with members of the Kilgeever parish community.
Leo valued and contributed to the GAA throughout his life in many roles: chairman of the Mayo Hurling Board in 1965; chairman of the Mayo County Board 1966 to 1977; president of Louisburgh GAA for many years; chairman of the Mayo Minor Football Board 1966; a nominee to run for president of GAA in 1973 (he did not contest the election); Central Council delegate 1978; and Mayo delegate to the GAA Annual Congress; along with training and managing college and club teams. He was involved in the removal of Rule 27 (the ban on GAA members playing “foreign” games) in 1971.
He was involved in designing the Mayo GAA crest which now includes Croagh Patrick. He was involved in the establishment of the Green and Red Trust Fund (an organisation that helps GAA players who fall on hard times). He played for the Mayo junior team in the early 1950s, and remembered the 1951 senior team coming to watch the juniors when he was playing in goal.
Leo won two All-Ireland and Connacht drama medals as a schoolboy actor in plays directed by his father, Seán T Morahan. One of them was written by Seán T and was called Taidhbhse an Chrainn. He acted in plays while in Maynooth, and he directed plays and operettas in Saint Mary's while he was there. He loved to sing, and did so throughout his life and while celebrating Mass.
He loved the Irish language and delighted in sharing with others his love for the language. He had a love of the landscape, culture and history. He also had a keen appreciation of the relationships between culture, language, people and their sense of place.
His greatest legacy was his humanity, expressed in so many beautiful ways.
He was editor and a regular contributor to An Choinneal, the parish periodical which was first published in 1959. He and his colleague, An tAthair Colm Ó Faoláin (RIP), translated the New Testament into Irish (1964). He contributed to many publications over the years. His earlier broadcasts on TV and radio (including Night Talk, Outlook and Thought for the Day) made his face and voice familiar throughout Ireland. RTÉ appointed him as chair of Comhairle Radio na Gaeltachta for three years in November 1983.
In recent times, he was interviewed about his life by Máirtín Tom Sheáinín on Comhrá on TG4 and by Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile on Radió na Gaeltacha.
He is survived by his sister Gaelie McMenamin, brother Justin, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, and extended family and friends.
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