Holly Bough interview with Cork's Bishop Emeritus John Buckley

FOR his entire life, Bishop Emeritus John Buckley has witnessed at close hand the effects of emigration.

Indeed, but for a lucky break as a child growing up in Cork in the depressed 1950s, he could well have been an emigrant himself.

Instead, he devoted his life to the Church (with a little road bowling along the way!), and spent 53 years in ministry - 20 of those as Bishop of Cork and Ross, 13 as auxiliary.

Retired - although he dislikes the word - since 2019, Bishop John Buckley has left an indelible imprint on Corkonians far and wide.

As we talk about his life and his devotion to God, the topic of emigration is a common theme.

Born in 1939, in Inchigeela, in the parish of Uibh Laoghaire in West Cork, Bishop Buckley says emigration shaped the community when he was growing up.

“Emigration decimated the population from pre-famine highs of 8,000 to just 2,000 when I was growing up. Every family was affected by it.

“The Innisfallen from Penrose Quay was the usual mode of transport to work for too many people. I will always remember the words of Bishop (Con) Lucey at my confirmation. ‘I am saddened whenever I come to Uibh Laoghaire. It is not the people here who sadden me, but the people who are not here’.”

Bishop Buckley shares a story that underlines the lingering and enduring pain of emigration.

“As Bishop, I was involved with the Irish Commission for Emigrants and often visited the Irish exiles in Birmingham, Coventry, London, and Boston.

“One thing I noticed was that practically all suffered from a powerful sense of displacement.

“I remember meeting an elderly man from Mayo who had lived most of his life in London. When I asked him about his visits home, he replied ‘Bishop Buckley, I go home every night’.”

There is a touching monument to the generations of exiled Irish in Bishop Buckley’s home parish.

He explains; “Cardinal Timothy Manning, Archbishop of Los Angeles, was born in Ballingeary. He was very much aware of the exodus from the parish and often mentioned it during his visits home. He commissioned sculptor Seamus Murphy to erect a magnificent statue dedicated to the exiles of Uibh Laoghaire which stands outside the local church.”

Bishop Buckley himself could easily have been one of those ‘huddled masses’ of Corkonians.

However, he says: “We were very fortunate to have an excellent primary school principal in Inchigeela, Seamus O Laoghaire. He encouraged me to sit for the County Council scholarship, which I was awarded, fortunately. Without it, I probably would have had to emigrate, as there were no secondary schools in our area.”

The Lord works in mysterious ways. Another nation’s loss was Cork’s gain, as Bishop Buckley devoted his life to serving his flock across Cork and Ross, whose area extends to all of the city and part of the county, encompassing more than 250,000 people.

However, part of Bishop Buckley’s heart will always lie in his home place.

“We are all proud of our native area and have happy memories of growing up,” he says. “No matter where you live now, the old Greeks used to say ‘In the hills and valleys where you grew up, there you will always live and there you will always die’.

“There are few places more evocative of our language and culture then Gougane Barra and Ballingeary. My mother was a Ballingeary woman and she spoke fluent Irish.” Bishop Buckley also points to the spirituality of his native townland, and how it offered so much to him and other people when he was growing up.

“There are many mass rocks in the area which bore witness to the strong religious faith of the generations who went before us and their love for the Mass.

“I am convinced of the strong link between religion and personal wellbeing. For, although we didn’t share all the amenities people enjoy today, the people were very happy.

“Our values were not material ones; a person was admired because he could sing a good song, kick a good football or throw a good bowl. These were the things that shaped and unified our community.” Bishop Buckley attended Farranferris, then studied for the priesthood at Maynooth.

“I had served mass in Inchigeela and was very influenced by some great local priests, one of whom was Fr Charlie, brother of the late Taoiseach, Jack Lynch. Jack was a frequent visitor to the parish. Fr Charlie was subsequently parish priest in Ballinlough when I was appointed Bishop and he would often say, ‘Johnny Buckley was my altar boy in Inchigeela!’

“After ordination, I was appointed chaplain to Sarsfield’s Court hospital, which I enjoyed very much. Seán Ó Ríordáin, the great Cork poet, was a patient. I always enjoyed meeting him.” This element of the priesthood is clearly of vital importance to Bishop Buckley. “Care of the sick is very important. More people come through our hospitals than through our churches.”

Bishop Buckley was succeeded by Fintan Gavin in 2019 and he adds: “Despite the shortage in priests, Bishop Fintan has ensured that they are available for hospital work.” One time, Bishop Buckley visited a patient in intensive care recovering from surgery. “When he saw me, he said he didn’t know whether he was going up or down!” he recalls with a smile.

As his career continued, he was appointed Parish Priest of Turner’s Cross in 1983, and the year after, Auxilliary Bishop to Bishop Michael Murphy.

“Bishop Murphy died in 1996 and I was appointed his successor in 1998. A Bishop’s life, like that of a priest, is one of service, reminding people of their great dignity.” Of course, Bishop Buckley is a renowned follower of the GAA, and a distinguished player and follower of road bowling.

“In fifth and sixth class in the national school, Master O Laoghaire used to take us out bowling during religion class,” he recalls. “Naturally, we thought bowling was part of religion! We still do, of course.

“Football was very popular in Inchigeela and a great unifying bond in the parish. The Civil War bitterness was still simmering in the area and sport brought people together. In fact, I found that people seemed to unite better around the goalposts than around the altar!” Bishop Buckley routinely breaks up his prayers by offering up lines like “We pray that Cork will beat Tipp in the Munster Final this year,” and he says: “My first encounter with hurling was in Farranferris. I loved the game and was very happy to captain the Harty Cup team.

“During my Leaving Cert year, we went to the final of the senior football competition and the semi-final of the Harty. We lost both.

“I’ve always maintained that sport is an essential outlet for young people, to help them resist the pressures to take part in less desirable activities.

“It is very important to reach out to young people today. Bishop Fintan is very much aware of this and recently accompanied a group of young people from Cork to the World Youth Day in Lisbon.”

Bishop Buckley is also a great supporter of women’s sports and adds: “My motto is, ‘If you want a job done, ask a woman. If you want someone to talk about it, ask a man’.” For a man about to turn 84, he refuses to be stuck in the past and is in touch with modern life and its challenges.

“People today are searching for happiness. This search and the message of the Gospel are made for one another,” he says.

“Nothing in this life will satisfy us. Technology can’t satisfy the hunger of the human heart.

“These fundamental questions have pervaded our history: Why are we here? Where are we going?” “Today, the church must constantly look for new ways to reach out to people in our secular world. We are sadly aware of the decline in religious practice. But we must still walk with people, even when they are walking away,” says Bishop Buckley.

“Nowadays, we are operating under considerable restraints because of the shortage of priests and the lack of vocations.

“Bishop Fintan is very much aware of this and has adopted a new approach with the introduction of the Family of Parishes, encouraging priests and parishioners to bring the good news to people. That is the constant message also of Pope Francis.

“Will the priest be missed? Most certainly, by the sick, the dying. What parish can be without a priest when the doctor says ‘There is no more that I can do’?” There is clearly still plenty of inner strength and wisdom emanating from Bishop Buckley, and despite stepping down, he still has much to offer, while accepting the limitations of age.

“Pope Paul VI wisely stated that Bishops should step down at 75. I concur as you cannot defy age and physiology. Time waits for no-one. When a Bishop resigns, the Pope transfers the full responsibility for administration to his successor. For me, it was an easy transition as Bishop Fintan made a part-time secretary available to me for a couple of years.

“I don’t like the use of the term ‘retirement’ in relation to priests and Bishops. A priest is a priest forever and a Bishop is a Bishop forever. Nothing should distract from that concept. To use the word ‘retirement’ may imply a removal of the powers conferred by Holy Orders.

“No-one retired in the Bible. Bishop Fintan encourages priests who resign at 75 to continue to participate in active ministry.” As for the high points of his long career of devotion, Bishop Buckley says: “Meeting Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II was a very special occasion. It was an honour also to have been invited by the Lynch family to celebrate Jack Lynch’s funeral Mass.”

He concludes: “It was a privilege to serve the people of Cork. My favourite part of the work, like any priest or bishop, is helping people. That’s what it’s all about.”

Banter and ball-hopping as Bishop met holy trinity of Popes

DURING his time as Bishop of Cork and Ross, John Buckley met three pontiffs.

At his first meeting with Pope John Paul II (above left), Bishop Buckley told him he was from the same parish as Cardinal Timothy Manning, Archbishop of Los Angeles. The Pope said: “Manning, great man, special friend.”

Bishop Buckley chuckled: “Given that each individual meeting with the Pope was scheduled to last only a few minutes, when I emerged more than 10 minutes later, some Bishops who were waiting outside asked what delayed me. I jokingly replied, ‘We are exceptionally close!’”

When Bishop Buckley met Pope Benedict XVI (centre) - who died last New Year’s Eve - in 2006, Cork’s hurlers were top dogs. He told the pontiff if Cork pulled off a third successive All-Ireland win, he would personally invite the German to Cork! Sadly, Kilkenny put a stop to that!

The Bishop had a two-hour meeting with Pope Francis in Rome in 2017, who ultimately accepted his resignation as Bishop two years later.