Northern Ireland

Fr Des Wilson dedicated his life to helping people

Fr Des Wilson was a strong advocate of adult education
Fr Des Wilson was a strong advocate of adult education Fr Des Wilson was a strong advocate of adult education

WEST Belfast priest Des Wilson, who died yesterday at the age of 94, has been described as a "champion of the people".

A prominent campaigner and community activist, over six decades Fr Wilson played a hugely influential role in the lives of countless people in his adopted area .

Deeply involved in the development of the Springhill and Ballymurphy community associations during the darkest days of the Troubles, he was a strong advocate of adult education.

Having grown up in the Ormeau Road area of south Belfast, Fr Wilson attended St Malachy's College and was ordained in 1949.

He spent 16 years as the spiritual director at the north Belfast school before moving to St John's Parish in west Belfast in 1966.

In the years that followed, Fr Des found himself in dispute with the Catholic Church and later resigned from clerical positions.

Having a great passion for education, he went on to form the Springhill Community House, which became a refuge for the members of the community seeking learning and counselling.

Former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams last night led the tributes to the late priest.

The Louth TD said the community of west Belfast, especially of the Upper Springfield area, would be devastated by news of the death of "our friend and mentor".

He described Fr Wilson, who married the former MP and his wife Colette in 1971 while Mr Adams was on the run from the authorities, as "hugely respected and loved"

"He was also a man of great courage, a good neighbour, and a decent human being," he said.

"Fr Des’s life was dedicated to helping people – during the terrible years of conflict, he stood with the Upper Springfield Road community against the aggression and violence of the British state forces. He gave comfort and solidarity to those in need."

Mr Adams said that along with Frank Cahill and others, Fr Wilson had established a number of projects aimed at brining jobs and investment to the area, including the Whiterock Industrial Estate, the Rock Knitwear Group and later the Conway Mill project.

The ex-Sinn Féin leader also credited Fr Des, alongside the late Fr Alec Reid, as performing a mediation process between the different republican groups, which he said had "undoubtedly saved lives following feuding in the late 1970s".

He said the together the two priests also embarked on an outreach programme, in which they spoke to unionist paramilitaries and facilitated meetings between republicans and loyalists.

"They met officials from the British and Irish governments, and indeed anyone who would listen to them, in the hope that through dialogue they could assist the work of peace building – they pioneered this work," Mr Adams said.

A spokesman for Relatives For Justice said the campaign group was "bereft" to hear of Fr Wilson's passing.

"He was always on the side of the marginalised, the silenced and the oppressed," the spokesman said.

"His support for the families we work with was unwavering. We are diminished without him but remain all the better for having had him."

Irish News columnist Jarlath Kearney said Fr Wilson's work and education helped the most excluded in society.

"His social justice values and his belief in human dignity brought many people together," he said.