The Archdiocese of Liverpool was saddened to learn of the death of Fr Brian Dougherty. He was 89 years old, and in the 26th year of priesthood.

Brian Christopher Dougherty was born in Douglas on 17 October 1935, the only child Mona and Bertie Dougherty. He was brought to Saint Mary’s to be baptised on 11 November that same year.

He attended St Mary’s school and Ballakermeen High School before serving his time as a bricklayer in the construction industry. In his early twenties, he applied to both the archdiocese and to the de Montfort Fathers to train for the priesthood. In both cases he was not accepted because he was ‘too old’.

Initially working part time in British Telecom (later Manx Telecom), he went on to work full time in a senior role with them for 37 years.

Heavily involved in parish activities, it was membership of the Legion of Mary that led to his first meeting with his future wife Pearl during the TT races in 1957. With other members of the Legion of Mary from Ireland, she attended a meeting of the Legion at St Mary’s. Arriving late, she was reprimanded by Brian. He told her she was welcome, but that courtesy required her to be on time; not an auspicious start to their relationship.

The next time she met Brian, Pearl asked ‘are we still friends?’ Apparently so, because they became engaged a couple of months later and eventually married on 4 April 1959. They had two sons: Eamonn and Paul. There followed almost 35 years of married life, cut short by Pearl’s unexpected death in 1992. Eamonn died suddenly in December 2020.

In 1993, Brian began a three-year training programme for the permanent diaconate. Ordained deacon in 1996, he served three years as a deacon. A surprise phone call from Archbishop’s House in Liverpool led to a meeting with Archbishop Kelly. Decades after being told he was ‘too old’, the archbishop invited him to undergo further training for the priesthood.

Unlike other candidates for the priesthood, whatever their age, Fr Brian was not required to attend seminary. His training was undertaken ‘on the job’. Archbishop Kelly, a former seminary rector, designed a tailor-made programme to be delivered by the then parish priest Canon Brendan Alger, himself a former seminary professor.

And so, he was ordained priest by Archbishop Patrick Kelly at Saint Mary of the Isle, Douglas, on 12 July 1999. He celebrated his First Mass the following day at Sacred Heart, Pulrose.

There followed many happy years as an assistant priest in the parishes in and around Douglas: Sacred Heart; St Anthony’s, Onchan; St Joseph’s, Willaston; and St Mary of the Isle, Douglas.

Being a Manxman, he had grown up with many of the parishioners, or had worked with them, which meant he knew many families very well indeed, and was able to offer wise counsel to successive parish priests. He loved being a priest and the parishes were blessed by his presence.

May he rest in peace.