Ex-Opus Dei head dies aged 78

Monsignor Richard Mulcahy, the former head of Opus Dei in Ireland, has died. He was 78 years of age.

The Monsignor, who was a nephew of the former leader of Fine Gael and Minister for Education General Richard Mulcahy, is survived by his sister Olive.

He died at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin today.

Monsignor Mulcahy was ordained a priest of Opus Dei in 1959 and was appointed Counsellor of the organisation in Ireland in 1961, a position he held until 1975.

The Monsignor was appointed a judge of the National Marriage Appeals Tribunal in 1986, and was its presiding judge from 2003 until his retirement in 2005. He was appointed a Monsignor or domestic prelate by the Holy See in 2005.