PRAYERS WERE recited during weekend Masses at the Star of the Sea Church, Riverchapel, for the safe return of the parish priest, Fr. Tom Dalton, (45), who is amongst 11 Irish people trapped in Nepal following a devastating earthquake that killed more than 5,000 people.

Parish priest at Riverchapel-Courtown Parish since the summer of 2012, Fr Dalton left home for Kathmandu in Nepal on Friday morning as part of a hillwalking group excursion.

They arrived at their destination and were near the airport when the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck at 11.41 local time on Saturday morning (5.56 a.m. Irish time).

Fr Dalton and the group were described as “lucky to be alive”, but were “safe and well, but very frightened.”

Full story in THE GOREY ECHO.