Priest ‘shocked’ by arrest of five men after row at Donegal church

A parish priest in County Donegal has promised parishioners that action has been taken after many people were left shocked after an argument broke out at a recent mass.

Five men were arrested outside the Irish Martyrs Church in Letterkenny on Sunday 18 August.

A huge fight ensued that started inside the church and spilled over into the church parking lot.

A large squad of detectives, some armed, were waiting in the grounds of Ballyraine church to deal with the disturbance.

The 11am mass, celebrated by Father Dominic Thoomkuzhy, was interrupted for a moment, before quickly ending and worshippers were asked to stay inside the church while guards dealt with the fight outside.

The five arrested men were charged at a special hearing at Letterkenny District Court the following day with a series of public order offences and also possession of weapons.

Irish Martyrs Church priest Fr Ciaran Harkin reassured worshippers that the church had taken precautions to prevent such shocking scenes from happening again.

He said: “Like many members of the parish, I was deeply shocked and even angry that you, our 11.30am congregation, had to witness last week the complete disregard for human life and the utter disregard for the sanctity of this chapel and its grounds.

“For many of you I know this was a frightening experience and of course, without the quick and effective work of the guards, this could have been a very serious and violent incident.

“Without going into detail, I am certainly a little wiser after this incident. Indeed, more precautions will be taken to ensure that such an incident does not happen again and that none of our parish masses are cancelled.”

Father Harkin said he wanted to thank the guards and all those who celebrated Mass and came to the aid of parishioners.

He added: “A word of thanks from all of us to the Gardaí for their effective and efficient response last Sunday.

“I would also like to thank the church community who communicated with the congregation last week – Siobhan, Fr Dominic and Declan – and of course all those who helped to ease the anxiety and fear of some of you during the 11.30am Mass.”

Five men, Michael McDonagh, of Big Isle in Letterkenny; Michael Reilly Junior, of Kishogue Park, Lucan, Dublin; Michael Reilly Senior, Thomas Reilly and John Paul Reilly of Tailteann Drive, Windtown, Navan, Co Meath all appeared before Judge Ciaran Liddy following the incident.

They were all released on bail until September 16 pending instructions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.