Fr Austin (Liam) Flannery (10 January, 1925 – 21 October, 2008) OP, was a Dominican priest, editor, publisher and social justice campaigner. Born Liam Flannery at

Rearcross Rearcross or Rear Cross () is a village in the townland of Reardnogy in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located on the R503 Thurles to Limerick Regional Road, in the Slieve Felim Mountains. It is in the Roman Catholic parish of Kilcommon and ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

on 10 January 1925, he was the eldest of seven children produced by William K. Flannery and his wife Margaret (née Butler). He was educated at

St. Flannan's College Saint Flannan's College is an Irish co-educational secondary school located in Ennis, County Clare, which takes its name from the 7th century patron saint of the Dál gCais. Formerly an all-boys boarding school, the first girls class was entere ...

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

, completing his secondary education at Dominican College, Newbridge,

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...

.Obiturary - Fr. Austin Flannery
Bernard Treacy, OP, editor Doctrine and Life, Irish Independent, Sunday 2 November 2008. He joined the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

, in September 1944, led to studies in theology at St Mary's Priory, Tallaght, and then at

Blackfriars, Oxford Blackfriars Priory (formally the Priory of the Holy Spirit) is a Dominican religious community in Oxford, England. It houses two educational institutions: Blackfriars Studium, the centre of theological studies of the English Province of the D ...

. Joining the Dominicans he chose the name ''Austin'', he was ordained a priest in 1950. He continued his studies at the Angelicum University in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. After his studies he taught Latin in

Newbridge College , latin_name = , logo = Newbridge College crest.gif , logo_size = 140px , seal_image = , image = Newbridge College.jpg , image_size = 270px , alt = Newbridge College and the R ...

and then theology at Glenstal Abbey,

County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Munster , subdivision ...

. Flannery edited the Dominican bi-monthly journal entitled '' Doctrine and Life'' from 1958 to 1988, while at

St. Saviour’s Priory, Dublin St. Saviour's Priory, Dublin, is a convent of the Dominican Order, in Dublin, founded in 1224. Its present church has, since 1974, has also served as a parish church for the local area,

where he also served as prior from 1957 to 1960. He also edited the ''Religious Life Review''. During and after the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

he made available in English all the documents from the event. Flannery's campaigning to end apartheid in South Africa, led to involvement with

Kader Asmal Abdul Kader Asmal (8 October 1934 – 22 June 2011) was a South African politician. He was a professor of human rights at the University of the Western Cape, chairman of the council of the University of the North and vice-president of the A ...

, and the founding the Irish

Anti-Apartheid Movement The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM), was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-White population who were persecuted by the policie ...

, of which he served as chairman and president. In the late sixties his campaigning on behalf of the

Dublin Housing Action Committee The Dublin Housing Action Committee (DHAC) was a 1960s protest group formed in response to housing shortages in Dublin, Ireland's capital city. It quickly moved to direct action and successfully squatted buildings to oppose redevelopment plans. ...

, due to its association with republicans and left wing activists, led him to being accused of being a communist. He was dismissed in the Dail by the then Minister for Finance, a certain

Charles Haughey Charles James Haughey (; 16 September 1925 – 13 June 2006) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach on three occasions – 1979 to 1981, March to December 1982 and 1987 to 1992. He was also Minister for the Gaeltacht from ...

, as "a gullible cleric". He died of a heart attack aged 83 on 21 October 2008, and is buried in the Dominican plot at

Glasnevin Cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery ( ga, Reilig Ghlas Naíon) is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasne ...

.Fr Austin Flannery OP - RIP
Clerical Whispers, Wednesday, 22 October 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flannery, Austin 1925 births 2008 deaths Alumni of Blackfriars, Oxford Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery Irish Dominicans Irish magazine editors 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Irish schoolteachers People educated at Newbridge College People educated at St Flannan's College Christian clergy from County Tipperary Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni