Papal honour for Trim emigrant
Trim native Albert Maher, who has lived in the UK for 50 years, recently received a papal knighthood for his services to the Catholic Church. Albert was presented with a medal and certificate to mark his investiture to the Knighthood of St Gregory, in a joint celebration which also marked the 25th anniversary of his local church in the parish of SS Peter and Paul, Sandal, Wakefield, Yorkshire.
News that he had been awarded a papal knighthood came as a great surprise to Albert, who had no idea that his parish priest had put him forward for the prestigious award for his service to the parish for more than 30 years. It was a very proud occasion for Albert and his wife Elizabeth (nee Loughlin), originally from Boardsmill.
Albert grew up in Newhaggard Road, Trim, and like many Irish at a time when work was scarce, he emigrated to the UK to Manchester in 1966.
Before emigrating, Albert wanted to join an Garda Siochana but he recalled he was a half inch too short. Being interested in policing, he joined the police service in Manchester but soon realised it wasn’t a long term career for him. He moved into sales and worked for 34 years with the Gallaher Tobacco company. For the last 20 years of his career, he was in sales management roles and he retired 15 years ago. After retiring, Albert became a full-time student for three years and did a degree in politics at Leeds Beckette University.
"This was being a wonderful experience and fulfilled a long held ambition that I would never have had the opportunity to do in Ireland of the early 1960's," said Albert. He later spent six years a magistrate on the bench in Wakefield Magistrates Courts.
Albert recalled that he never intended staying in the UK. “I went intending it to be for a few years but as can often happen in emigrant’s stories I got caught up in things like work, marriage and mortgages.”
Married to Elizabeth since 1969, Albert told how their families knew each other from home. Elizabeth had finished her general nurse training in Cork and went to Manchester to do midwifery and it was then that the couple started dating. They were married in 1969 and have two sons, Brian and Fergus, and three grandchildren.
Albert told how his work brought him all the North of England and Scotland and they moved to Yorkshire in 1986 and settled there. He has been very active in his local parish for more than 30 years.
News of his papal knighthood came completed out of the blue. “It began as a conversation between the parish priest and a few local parishioners and it was approved by the bishop and went on to Rome to the Pope who approved it."
Albert had no idea any of this was going on.
“It came as a total surprise. I got a call from Bishop Marcus Stock, who I know well through my work with the SVP. He rang one afternoon and told me he had some good news that I had been awarded a papal knighthood. I wasn’t aware this was going on at all.”
Albert proudly wears his Order of St Gregory medal, pictured with his wife Elizabeth.
Among his many services to the parish, Albert was eucharistic minister and reader for over 30 years, a collector for 20 years and counter for over 10 years. He was a member of the team presenting the marriage preparation course for a decade. Albert was presenter of wine tasting ‘Call my Bluff’ in the parish for ten years, and organised the parish barbecue which was attended by 200 parishioners annually. He was MC for numerous parish social events over many years. He also was a helper on 10 trips to Lourdes.
He is a member of the parish Justice and Peace Group and a St Vincent de Paul member for 11 years in various roles.