PIONEERING PRIEST Fr James McDyer, who initiated the Donegal Glencolmcille co-operative, was a “man before his time”, according to the hosts of his centenary celebration.
Best known for efforts to stem emigration and community decline, Fr McDyer was a “visionary” whose energy and leadership would be “well required in Ireland today”, Glencolmcille folk village manager Margaret Cunningham said.
Ms Cunningham was outlining details of a celebration planned in Glenties, Co Donegal, this Saturday to mark the approaching centenary of Fr McDyer’s birth.
Fr McDyer served as a curate in England before being appointed to Tory Island off the Donegal coast.
He was appointed parish priest of Glencolmcille in March 1961 and was so shocked by the emigration of young people that he founded several co-operatives, along with one of the island’s first holiday villages and a folk village which reflected three centuries of Donegal life. The folk village still attracts visitors, depicting life in the 1700s, 1800s and 1900s. It also has exhibits recording 5,000 years of history in the area.
