Donegal priest to get state funeral in South Korea tomorrow

A Donegal born priest who spent over 65 years in South Korea will be given a state funeral there tomorrow.
Fr PJ Mc Glinchey was born in Raphoe in 1928, and was brought up and reared in Letterkenny. In 1951, he was ordained a Columban Father, and was posted to the island of Jeju, 70 miles off the mainland of South Korea.
He died there this week, in a hospice he himself had built.
When Fr PJ Mc GLinchey arrived on Jeju in 1952, South Korea was recovering from the three year Korean War which had caused social and economic devastation.
The island is roughly the size of County Donegal, with a population of 40,000. At the time, there was very poor infrastructure and little or no employment.
He became an economic and agricultural pioneer, helping farmers develop their holdings and introducing new breeds of cattle, sheep and pigs.
He arranged the purchase of a co-operative farm, and developed health and education facilities. He also established a textile factory in order to provide employment for the women of the island.
His methods were replicated elsewhere across the Far east, and he has received numerous honours from both the Irish and South Korean governments.
He is being accorded a state funeral on the island of Jeju tomorrow.