In 1847, the year of the famine, Fr Mick was transferred to and given charge of the parish of Achill. Nangle’s mission was at the peak of its power. The story of Mick’s seal for his parishioners had preceded him to Achill and Nangle and his followers proceeded to persecute and annoy the priest in every possible way.
Fr Mick settled in Cashel as being the most suitable centre from which to carry out his duties and Nangle made every effort to root him out of there but failed. As a final resort the acquired the property from the O’ Donnelly of Newport and then he successfully proceeded to evict the priest. He was forced to leave Cashel and he took up residence in the Valley House. Even there the persecutors followed him and the stairs were cut away while the priest was in an upper story. The underhand methods used by Nangle to persecute the priest were displeasing even to certain members of the Prodestant Society of Achill. In those days and Mr William Pike of Derraree gave the evicted priest a small portion of land in Bleanaskill on which to build.
Just as in Islandeady Fr Mick spent himself for his flock and he laboured for them late and early. He even became permanently crippled while attending one of his parishioners on one occasion. He had been called to administer the last rites of the Church to a dying man in Ballinglanna Corraun when he was thrown from his horse and his knee was broken. From that he was compelled to use two sticks
On another occasion he had been called out to Dooega at 1 a.m. to attend a dying man and as there was no regular road to Dooega Village in those days he asked old Mathew Heaney to accompany him while they were away another party called for him to attend a sick person in Meewillan Corraun. The Meewilan party returned home after telling the priests housekeeper that a fire would be lighted in Meewillan if the priest was urgently needed that night. When the priest and Mathew returned from Dooega the signal fire was seen in Meewillan .its meaning was explained to the priest
Who immediately saddled his horse and rode rapidly to Gob na Fearta opposite Meewilan Here he forced the horse into the tide and swam him across the half-mile of intervening sea until he came ashore on Gob na nAistri .He was just in time to administer the last comforting rites to the dying man. The probability is that had he waited to travel the longer but safer road to Belfarsad the patient would have gone to His maker, unfortified by the last Sacrments. Such was Fr Mick Gallagher.one of Achill’s most illustrious sons, who never spared himself night or day in the interests of his people and like his Divine Master whose faithful servant and disciple he was, he favoured not the rich more than the poor.
For the most part, Fr Gallagher’s work was a “labour of love” The contributions from his poverty stricken parishioners never amounted to much. On one occasion his yearly collection in Upper Achill amounted to a mere £5. Were it not for his fathers resources the good Saggart would not be able to live by the Gospel” On another occasion his Easter collection in Lower Achill amounted to15/- He gave the entire collection to a poor man for the relief of the latter’s family.
During Fr Micks period of residence in Bleanaskill he was in the habit of employing two men each year in the spring time to carry out tillage operations on his small holding. Part of their duties was to go to the shore and on the rocky section cut a quantity of sea weed to be used as a fertiliser for potatoes. One spring time, the men working for Fr Mick brought a boat with them to that portion of the shore lying westwards of Cormack’s residence in Currane. Cormack was the landlord and one of the men left the boat to cut sea weed growing on a rock some distance out from the shore.
Cormack clamed this particular rock and the sea weed on it as his particular property.s he summoned Fr Mick trespass and damage. This might appear to be a strange action action on the part of catholic landlord. But Fr Mick was a most bitter opponent of landlordism and his opposition made Cormack bitter and revengeful.
Just as in a previous law suit in which Fr Mick was engaged the case went from court to court until the costs amounted to several hundred pounds and although Cormack offered to settle the whole matter for a nominal _ .Fr Mick feeling he had justice on his side. Stubbornly refused all offers of settlement and the case was finally dismissed. Fr Mick how had to bear his own law costs Here again his fathers savings came to the rescue but by the time the debts were paid the purse was empty.
Fr Mick Gallagher died a comparatively young man being only 60 years but his years on the mission had been most strenuous ones he had worn himself for his people it will be rembered that he broke his knee cap while attending to his sacred duties and because of unskilled attention at the time and because he himself would not give the limb the rest it required to heal properly it told so much against him in the last years of his duties. Sending a younger man to assist him.
On September 2nd 1867 Fr Mick passed to his eternal reward. From Dooagh to Currane from Achill Beg to Tonragee. His people flocked in hundreds to pay their last respects to their beloved Fr Mick when the news of his death reached them. While they stormed heaven in their sweet native Gaelic pleading for eternal repose for his soul.
Before he died he left written instructions that he was to be buried with his father and brother in Kildownet on the day of his funeral Fr Richard Prendergast of Newport wanted to have the remains interred in Kildownet Church. But Wm. Pike intervened and insisted on the terms of the will being carried out.
Fr Mick was placed with his father and brother in old Kildownet cemetery
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