Radio supremo tells of his priesthood devastation

MAYO radio presenter and producer Peter Killeen has spoken of his devastation of being rejected for the priesthood because of his inability to learn the Irish language.

After the death of his wife of 33 years, Bernadette, in April 1999, he pondered for a few years before he decided he wanted to be ordained. When he eventually took the plunge he studied in northern Spain and Maynooth, passed his exams, and cruised through a series of tough psychological assessments. However, when the church authorities insisted he learn Irish he opted out.

Peter (70), who is deeply involved in Castlebar Community Radio (CRC), of which he was manager for 10 years, took up the story: 'I went for the priesthood. I had been thinking about it for a good few years. I have always been a church goer and a daily Mass goer. I had an inclination but I didn’t do anything about it.

'I went back to Fr. Paddy Curran in  2007. I thought he would tell me I was mad in the head. I was 61 or 62 at the time.

'But he was absolutely delighted and he said he would get in touch with them in Tuam and before I knew where I was, I was up in Tuam and I had an interview with the vocation panel. All went well and that September I was sent to a college in the north of Spain where I did 10 months.

'I didn’t have a clue of the language and we had three Spanish lessons in the week. But I never learned Spanish. I am not good with languages. I learned a few phrases and  managed to get by.

'I came back and went to Maynooth in 2008 to 2009 and the reason I did not go any further after that was they wanted us to submerge in the Irish language in 2009. I went up to Connemara. But I wouldn’t stay and I came back. The Irish language was not for me.

'I have to be honest. I had a bad experience when I was going to St. Gerald’s College with a teacher and despite the fact that I had four or five psychological assessments, some lasting two or three hours, over three years, they thought there must be some psychological problem with me. I have to say I was devastated.'