Brother Daniel John Doherty with his mother Brigid Dan Johnnie
(O'Donnell) from Cúl a' Chnoic. Both Peadars.
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Before and during the Peadar Night there was
some speculation as whether or not there was ever a Peadar priest. I could
not find any mention of such but there was a story I had heard from a
priest who had spent 3 years in Peru. He was Fr, Seamus Gallagher from
Dungloe (sagart John Hughdie Dan) and the story goes like this.Fr. Seamus
had some days off and decided to explore a remote part of Bolivia. After a
long journey by train he was taken by landrover until the road came to an
end. He then proceeded, along with a few others, to travel by donkey.
Eventually he found himself in a remote premative village. To his
amazement, he met a "white man." The white man, on learning that
Fr. Seamus was Irish, said he was Irish too. "Where from?" asked
Fr. Seamus. "Donegal," was the reply. Fr. Seamus's curiousity
now aroused, asked, "Where in Donegal?"
"Ah," said the white man, "a little place, you wouldn't
know it, called Coolacrick."
On St. Patrick's Day 2002 while marching in the New York parade, Fr. Seamus fell in
to chat with a woman marching beside him.On asking about her Irish connection,
she said she was from Co. Donegal, a little unknown place called Coolacrick. The
priest amazed at this began telling her about the "white man" he met
in Bolivia. "That's my brother Daniel," said she.
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