IT was somehow appropriate that, after an illness which he bore with patient fortitude, Professor Muredach Dynan died on the feast of our patron saint.
A man of many qualities, he was particularly attached to his national identity with a lifelong love of Ireland, its language, literature, culture and history.
Upon receiving the anointing of the Sacrament of the Sick, he was asked by his brother-in law, Bishop Alan McGuckian of Raphoe, to put words on the grace that he hoped to receive.
Muredach had no hesitation in expressing his wishes to trust in God completely and to be united with his late wife Mary and his family.
These wishes epitomise his life of total faith in God and selfless service to all.
Muredach was born in 1938, the third child in a family of nine to Sean and Breda Dynan, who were both originally from Cork.
Sean was well known to many school children of the 1950s and '60s in Belfast as a teacher of speech and drama.
As a young lad growing up in Ardoyne, Muredach's first act of service was as an altar boy at Holy Cross Church.
He attended St Patrick’s Christian Brothers Primary School on Donegall Street and later St Mary’s CBS, Barrack Street, where he first encountered the teachings of Blessed Edmund Rice and embraced his philosophy that every child, regardless of their circumstances, should get a chance of a proper education.
He was a gifted scholar who won a prestigious state exhibition scholarship to Queen’s University in 1956 from where he earned a first class honours degree in physics, coming first in his year group.
From there he commenced teaching at St Dominic’s High School and, after one year, took up an appointment as a lecturer in science and mathematics education at St Joseph’s and St Mary’s Colleges of Education, later earning masters and doctoral degrees.
As for so many others, 1969 was a pivotal year for Muredach.
In his spare time, he became a prominent member of a housing relief committee established by Bishop William Philbin, initially at St Joseph’s and later in the Catholic Welfare Office in west Belfast.
It was there that he met Mary McGuckian of the well-known family of that name from Cloughmills.
Their first date in the Scandia in College Square was to lead to a loving partnership of nearly 50 years.
In the early 1970s Muredach became the founding chair of the north Belfast branch of the SDLP.
However, in 1976 he took a leap of faith in every sense of the word.
He and Mary moved to Australia where he undertook academic and senior management positions at university level in Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland.
He was a senior officer of the Australian Catholic University (ACU) since its establishment in 1990.
As Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Brisbane campus, Muredach introduced ground-breaking community engagement initiatives, including degree programmes for Aboriginal students.
He was also responsible for developing the international outreach of ACU, including programmes on campus and overseas including Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa and East Timor.
On his return to Ireland in 2004, Muredach coordinated a project aimed at developing academic links between NUI Maynooth and the ACU.
More recently he carried out research projects on behalf of the Catholic Bishops and the Conference of Religious in Ireland.
These addressed the future development of Catholic schools in Ireland, and modes of collaboration among trustee bodies.
One of the achievements of which he was most proud, in what he euphemistically referred to as his “retirement”, was the foundation of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust.
Launched in 2009, the trust is responsible for eight schools in Northern Ireland that had formerly been under the trusteeship of the Christian Brothers and aims foster the advancement of education in the Edmund Rice tradition.
He was appointed inaugural chair of the board of directors and subsequently served as the chair of the members of the trust.
In October 2020 he was awarded its highest honour, the Edmund Rice Medal.
In 1989 Muredach was appointed a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
In 2004 he received one of the highest honours of the Australian Catholic University in being awarded the title Emeritus Professor.
Muredach also served on the Northern Ireland Commission for Catholic Education and as a board member of the Education Authority since its inception.
He was a keen sportsman, excelling in badminton, squash, sailing and golf. He also had a great love of music and was a gifted mandolin player.
Muredach was predeceased by his loving wife Mary in November 2018 and is survived by his siblings Roisin (Cochrane), Kieran, Brendan, Finbarr, Monica, Fionnuala (Murden), Fidelma and Liam and wider family circle.
He will be missed for his rapier wit and gentle kindness.
"Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis".
PGS
