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“YOU COULDN’T PRINT that” – the words of Father Arthur O’Neill when asked what went through his mind when he found a gun pointed to his head.
The priest told TheJournal.ie that he was awoken at around 5am on Sunday morning when the alarm went off in his home at St Brigid’s Parish in Cabinteely, Dublin.
He told the alarm company that called that he was fine “thinking the alarm was a mistake”. However he then turned over to find “what looked like a machine gun pointed to my head”.
O’Neill said he wasn’t sure if the gun was real but that he was worried when it was pointed to his head.
“Two men had broken in hoping to find money but I told them they had no chance and that they were barking up the wrong tree,” he said.
He also said he was surprised they didn’t hit him “just out of frustration”, especially when one of the men was saying to the other “put one in his legs”.
I was stubborn and they were stubborn. They soon realised they were getting nothing.
He said the whole break-in lasted about 15 to 20 minutes and that he “wasn’t very priest-like” with his language during the incident.
The priest may have been scared but he was brave enough to follow them out to the door and shout after them asking for his phone to be returned.
I told them to leave it somewhere because all my contacts were in it and people had my number to call me in emergencies.
The pair might not have been the most Christian of people but they did manage to leave his phone under a tile in his front garden, where it was protected from the rain. “I knew they were going to leave the phone…there’s good in everyone” he added.
O’Neill joked that he got rid of them by “boring” them, launching into a sermon that I had prepared for later that day”.
When asked what did they get? “Not a whistle”.
The priest said he has been well looked after by his community in Cabinteely and had “plenty of invites for dinner”.
And when asked if he forgave the men, O’Neil laughed and said that they were “two stupid men” but that he would identify them if they were arrested. He said “these people always pick on the most vulnerable”.
He did add that when at mass this morning the Our Father took on a different meaning for him – especially the words “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”.
- First published 2.30pm
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I’m not of his religious persuasion, but as someone who has also woken to find burglars in my house, I admire his attitude and good humour about it. Not a nice experience, at all.
Not nice
Keith must be a former alter boy
Good luck with the book!
Nice guy. Taught me religion in ballyfermot. Said the word ‘disparaging’ a lot.
Theres alot to be said for saying a mass
Fr Arthur is a very decent man….good on him . Lot of low life in the area unfortunately
You have to admire his courage!
Father Paul Stone?
“Wheres the f*ckin’ money??”
“No, I’m fine thanks”
Something just doesn’t quite add up with this story.
The fact that he is a priest makes this a little more noteworthy but isn’t it an awful reflection on our emerging society that anyone would be attacked in their bed in this way. People around the country regardless of age, infirmity or community standing should surely be able to rest without fear of who might come through the door and what vicious harm they might bring with them. Perpetrators of home invasion need to be severely “disincentivised” by the processes of law rather than the revolving door justice that seems common now with most of these folks being caught tens of times. Fair dues to Fr O’Neill but something more needs to be done particularly in violent invasions like this.
“I knew they were going to leave the phone…there’s good in everyone” We should all learn from that.
He gives a great mass.
Good luck with the book
Ehhhh, we run the electricity off the gas and the gas off the electricity. What’s your favourite humming noise?
I m one of those atheists who don’t believe in Holy smoke or in Fairy lights. I had had the pleasure of meeting Arthur a couple of times: An intelligent, kind and fair gentleman. That’s how I can describe him.
This story doesn’t surprise me at all. I can even picture his smile while talking to these guys. I will now add courageous and brave to my adjectives.
That man is a good priest, and a good man. Practices what he preaches and is confident in his own strength. More power to him. Glad the tea-leaves gave him back his phone too. Decent little geebags.
Father Stone :)
Down with that sort of thing!
Must have scared the “Jaysus into them!”
Patricia Ann mc carthy is gonna love this story.
Talk about a role reversal. Someone creeping into a priests bedroom in the dark instead of the other way around
Ms Russell that priest has a well earned and respected title from what I know. I think you should have used it.
So they didn’t rob the fupping whistle.
The poor guys. Stuck in a house alone with a priest.
Wow what an ignorant fuk you are
Ignorant … From someone who just posted this on their Twitter feed … “I just Bashed Atheism”
Man gets a gun put in his face and people use it as an excuse to bash the Catholic Church and defame the poor priest.
Get a sense of humour. The priest in the story clearly has so maybe you should too.
You didn’t seem to be making a joke James- more like a snide comment. Big difference. Feel sorry for the man going through that ordeal then facing abuse by posters, that’s all.
You see when you dont have a sense of humour you see humour as snide comments.
James , look at the number of red thumbs at your original comment -hard to accept as humour ,Jamsie boy
Do you always let the public dictate how you feel about things?
No Jamsie. The public are giving their opinion on your remark not dictating
No you said it was hard to accept as humour given the fact of the red thumbs. Therefore you let people dictate your thoughts. Sad really.
“Sad really” don’t analyse me Jimmy boy
Troll on Noelie!
Brave man ..All the prayers worked.thank God they got away empty handed.
Not to be pedantic here all, but the most boring priest as described by Fr Ted is actually Father Austin Purcell.
No thats very pendantic!
Not surprised. They have been boring people out of Mass for years
Time to abolish collections at Sunday Masses – let people contribute once or twice yearly direct to Church bank account thus saving a lot of work of and also the expense of counting and lodging money every week, taking temptation out of thieves’ way as well as being safer for priest and all concerned.
Better idea: abolish the Catholic Church itself and give the entirety of their wealth to developing countries.
We’d probably have a poverty free world in under a decade.
Eoin, the wealth of the Catholic Church is $15 billion. So let’s divide that between the worlds Catholics or do you think every non catholic person should get a equal share as well.
Do the math and you will find that it’s a couple of dollars each.
I hate these lazy comments from people.
There is billions of dollars in aid given out each year and we still have poverty.
Third world aid is a largely useless endeavour seeing as most of the nations it goes to are (1) deeply indebted to the very countries they’re receiving the money from, and (2) in thrall to structural adjustment programs imposed on them in order to keep their economies subordinated to the whims of the global business class.
I would have thought just about anyone could tell that the comment about abolishing the Catholic Church and spreading their wealth was sarcasm, attempting to make a point about how little good it actually does in the world.
I didn’t expect it to be read by you sir, Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory.
The Chuck Norris of the Catholic. Church. Good on him!
Misleading headline. I really thought I was going to read about a 12-bore defense
“It’s our culture boss”. Anyhow thought they(tarmackers) were supposed to be religious? Attacking a priest tut tut.
Well done that priest. He’s a brave man. Good to hear they left his phone.
Give us this day all your bread.
“bored” them out of the house. Is that a euphemism?
“bored” can be taken both ways!
What must people think of his parents,for bringing him into the world.
I believe the robbers left with nun
Isn’t faith a wonderful thing!?
Set foot on my property without my permission and deal with the consequences
A phony story! Looking for attention and maybe an invite to dinner. Let him eat crow.
‘Not a whistle’
Is that a Father Ted reference?
He must’ve offered too many mars bars!!
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