The death has taken place of the former bishop of Cloyne, the Most Rev Dr John J. Ahern, the last surviving Irish bishop to have attended all sessions of the Second Vatican Council.
A native of Leamlara, near Midleton, Co Cork, Dr Ahern was ordained in 1936. Appointed professor of canon law at Maynooth in 1946, he succeeded Dr James Roche as bishop of Cloyne in 1956 when he was nominated by Pope Pius XII. He retired in 1987.
During his 30 years as bishop of Cloyne, he served on numerous Commissions of the Irish Episcopal Conference, most notably in the areas of doctrine and catechetics.