Tributes and tales shared at 50-year celebration for Fr Shay Casey

Fr Shay Casey is not a man who places much importance in material possessions. But if wealth was measured by the number of lives a person has touched, the TUS Athlone chaplain would surely be one of Ireland's richest citizens.

That was clearly evident last Wednesday evening when the Douglas Hyde lecture theatre on the Athlone campus filled with family, friends, current and former colleagues, and students who gathered to celebrate the golden jubilee of his ordination to the priesthood.

Described simply as 'An Evening with Fr Shay', the event featured moving and heartfelt personal tributes to a man whose extraordinary care and support for students was described as literally life-saving in some cases.

The gathering took the form of a 'fireside chat' on stage, with Fr Shay being interviewed by Colin Fahy, a TUS graduate and one of the many who have resided at his 'chaplaincy open house', 11 Auburn Heights.

One of ten siblings from Killashee in Longford, some of whom were in attendance on Wednesday, Fr Shay trained to become a missionary with the Kiltegan fathers.

After his ordination in 1976 he went to work in Africa, but contracted a blood disease which meant he had to return to Ireland.

Before joining the then-Athlone Regional Technical College in September 1985, Fr Shay worked in the town for a time at the Marist College and Our Lady's Bower.

"That helped me to recover from my illness and gave me my confidence back, because, remember, I had trained as a missionary; I never wanted to work in Ireland," he said.

When he moved to work as a chaplain in the third-level institution in the mid-80s, one of the early ways he connected with students was by helping to make video reports from parties and football matches, clips which became popular on campus in that pre-internet era.

He said the educational system in Ireland was quite "impoverished" in the '80s and '90s, but the arrival of international students in the late '90s helped bring "new vibrancy, life and enthusiasm".

The evening heard testimony about the ways Fr Shay helped students and staff in times of crisis, and how his outreach work included initiatives such as The Food Cloud which collects short-dated produce from supermarkets for delivery to students and families in need in Athlone.

There were plenty of humorous moments too, including references to memorable house parties in Auburn Heights.

"If you open up your house to student parties anything can happen, and it did happen. Actually (students) are a lot more civilised now than they were then!" said Fr Shay.

TUS president Professor Vincent Cunnane described 50 years of priesthood as "a remarkable achievement" but added, "In Fr Shay's case it's not just the length of service that stands out, it is the way that service has been lived; quietly, consistently, and always with others at its centre.

Professor Cunnane said Fr Shay's home "over the years became something far greater than a place to live. It's been a place of welcome, of refuge, of celebration and of quiet support. An open door, quite literally, day and night.

"While institutions often speak about support, care and community, Fr Shay has lived those values in the most practical and human way possible."

A former colleague, Dan O'Sullivan, prompted a round of applause when he said: "I would describe Shay's approach as Christianity, or humanity, in practice."

One of the first students Fr Shay encountered when he arrived at Athlone RTC in 1985 was Anne Kennelly, a niece of the great Kerry footballer Mick O'Connell. Based in Belgium for many years, Anne flew back to Ireland to attend last week's celebration.

"There are three words that come to mind when I think of Fr Shay. The first is respect. He showed all students respect, and in turn we showed him respect. And the others are fairness and equality," she said.

"I stayed in the college for four years and developed a great friendship with Fr Shay. And even though I live in Belgium now for the last 33 years, and haven't seen him, I wouldn't miss the opprtunity to be back here for this.

"You always treated us like family," she told Fr Shay. "You treated us all with respect, and with love, actually."

In a video message, former Athlone IT president Professor Ciarán Ó Catháin said it had been "a great honour" to work with Fr Shay.

"I have great memories of working with Fr Shay during some very happy and indeed some very sad times over my 22 years. Always he was there as a constant support to students, to their families, and to faculty.

"I know he does a lot of work unbeknownst to others behind the scenes, supporting students, giving them some money if they're short of the fare home at the weekend, and the house is always open for people to drop in and get some food."

There was discussion about Fr Shay's role in helping those dealing with mental health struggles, and Treasa Fox, Head of Student Counselling, spoke of the support he has given, and continues to give, to her.

"I'm 31 years now in the college. Shay, you and I formed a bond very early on. We had each other's back all of the time, and I'm eternally grateful for that because we have dealt with some very difficult situations.

"I could not imagine being 31 years doing this job if you weren't my 'wingman' and weren't by my side. I'm hoping that we'll have lots more years of being buddies and teammates."

Brendan Kiely, a businessman who was involved in the students union during his time in the college, told Fr Shay: "You changed countless lives. It's not an exaggeration to say that you saved some lives as well, and I witnessed that."

There were also affectionate tributes in the room from Treasa Ryan, Jack Cooney, Gordon Brett, and others, while a letter of congratulations was read out from the former President of Ireland, Mary McAleese.

"Your ministry to young people in Athlone has been extraordinary — from the Bower Convent, to the Marist College, to AIT and now TUS Athlone," said Ms McAleese.

"Thank you for five decades of generous service, gentle wisdom, and faithful presence. Athlone is the richer because of you."