The funeral takes place on Friday of renowned Irish scholar and author, Monsignor Brendan Devlin.
Former Professor of Modern Languages at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Monsignor Devlin was also responsible – with his colleague, An tAthair Pádraig Ó Fiannachta – for the translation of the Bible into Irish from Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. The two men’s work took 30 years to complete.
A native of Gortin, County Tyrone, Monsignor Devlin (93) was educated at St Columb’s college, Derry, Maynooth and in Rome. Ordained a priest in 1955, he was appointed Professor of Modern Languages at Maynooth three years later, a position he held for 41 years.
He served as Vice-President of Maynooth from 1977 to 1980 and Rector of the Irish College, Paris from 1984 to 2001. In 2001, he was invested as an Officer of the Légion d’honneur, the highest French award available to a foreign national. In 2013, the County Tyrone priest was celebrant and delivered the homily at the Requiem Mass of Nobel laureate, Seamus Heaney.
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In a joint statement, Maynooth President, Rev Professor Michael Mullaney and Rector of the Irish National Seminary, Dr Tomás Surlis said: “We give thanks to God for Monsignor Devlin’s authentic and faithful priestly witness and for his rich scholarly legacy.”
Monsignor Devlin’s Requiem Mass will take place at Maynooth college chapel on Friday (10am) followed by removal to St Mary’s church, Rouskey, Gortin for prayers (4pm) after which he will be laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery.
