Page 2, 28th April 1978

28th April 1978

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Page 2, 28th April 1978 — Priest hits back at anti-Irish allegations
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Priest hits back at anti-Irish allegations

Keywords: Aylward, Mahon

A group of angry Irishmen in Ashford, Middlesex are trying to get their parish priest removed on the grounds that he is "ant Irish' after his decision to stop them from using the parish halt for their social club.
But Fr Ronald Aylward, parish priest of St Michael's, Ashford, has rejected the accusations as "nonsense". "They know I'm not anti-Irish but it's the only banner they've got to fly," he said this week.
The row first blew up last July when Fr Aylward ordered the club to stop using the hail. In March he obtained a court order enabling him to evict the social club but he said this would not be enforced because the members intended to appeal.
This week Fr Aylward explained the reasons for his action: he said the club had been started originally for the benefit of the parishioners and as a means of raising money for the parish.
Neither of these things had been achieved, he said: "Well under half the members of the club are parishioners and they have only managed to raise £5,000 in seven years."
However Mr John McLoughlin, the club's chairman claimed on Tuesday that the parishioners in Ashford were "not very good mixers".
Mr !McLoughlin repeated his allegation that Fr Aylward was anti-Irish: however, asked to give evidence to support his claim, he said that lie would rather not give it.
But he said copies of a petition containing over 600 signatures had been sent to Cardinal Hume and Bishop Gerald Mahon, bishop in West London demanding Fr Aylward's removal.
Bishop Mahon confirmed that he had received a petition but said there was only a silort list of people wanting Fr Aylward to go.
Fr Aylward said there was no question of the parish being "split in two" over the issue. "My parish is behind me almost -I00 per cent — and I've got hundreds of letters to prove it," he said. lie added that collections at the church had also gone up, which seemed to indicate confidence in him.
Bishop Mahon is keeping in close touch with the situation in an attempt to bring the two sides together.
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