Tapestry tribute welcomed in Kingscourt

The ‘Woven into Memory’ tapestry, which commemorates the 75th anniversary of the deaths of the Korean Columban Martyrs, was welcomed at a special memorial Mass held in Kingscourt last weekend.

Relatives of one of those martyrs- Fr. Jack O’Brien- whose family roots lie deeply in east Cavan Town, attended the Mass, celebrated by Fr. Gerry McCormack on Sunday, October 5.

Members of the Hegarty and Yorke families were present to receive the tapestry, designed by Frances Crowe and commissioned by Jacqueline née Creaven d’Towey, a relative of one of the martyrs

Intertwining Korean and Irish imagery, in future will be presented to the people of South Korea in a special ceremony at the Irish Embassy in Seoul.

Fr. Jack O’Brien was the nephew of Tommy Hegarty, a central figure in Kingscourt’s GAA history. Tommy, originally from Donamon, Co. Roscommon, moved to Kingscourt in 1917 as a railway guard where he went on to become a prominent sportsman playing in Kingscourt Stars’ championship victories, as well as winning an Ulster medal with Cavan in 1924. He later earned further honours with Donamon, Galway, and Connacht in the early years of the Railway Cup.

Fr. Jack, born December 1, 1918, was the eldest child of T.J. O’Brien and Mary Elizabeth Hegarty. He joined the Society of St. Columban in 1936 and was ordained in 1942. With World War II underway, Fr. Jack was unable to travel overseas and instead served as a chaplain with the Royal Ulster Rifles. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, he landed with his battalion on Sword Beach in Normandy and continued through Europe, surviving the campaign and lifting the spirits of those around him.

After the war, he served briefly in Egypt and Palestine before finally being assigned to missionary work in Mokpo, South Korea in 1948. There, he worked with Fr. Cusack of Co. Clare and American Monsignor Patrick Brennan. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, Fr. Jack and his fellow missionaries refused evacuation, choosing instead to remain with their community.

Captured by North Korean forces in August 1950, Fr. Jack and his companions were imprisoned and later forced on a harrowing march through the mountains. Despite exhaustion and the threat of death, Fr. Jack lifted the spirits of fellow captives, including American POWs, through song and prayer.

Eventually brought to Taejon, Fr Jack and his fellow inmates were held in a former Franciscan monastery turned prison, and on September 24, 1950, with United Nations forces approaching, retreating North Korean troops massacred approximately 1,000, including Fr. Jack and his fellow Columban priests.

In 2014, Fr. Jack was declared a Servant of God, the first formal step on the path to canonisation.