under Hayes's leadership, there was eventually an overlap in membership between Muintir na Tíre and the Catholic fraternal organisation the Knights of Columbanus. He was appointed parish priest of Bansha & Kilmoyler in County Tipperary in 1946. Due largely to his endeavours, a factory - Bansha Rural Industries - was started and enjoyed some success producing preserves for the Irish home market. Bansha was to the forefront in developing many Muintir na Tíre initiatives and for a time in the 1950s enjoyed the soubriquet of The Model Parish. A lifelong teetotaller, a highlight of Hayes' career was his address to the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association in Croke Park in June 1949 to celebrate their 50th year of operation. The event was the largest Catholic gathering in Dublin since the Eucharistic Congress of 1932. He spearheaded many initiatives including rural electrification, the "Parish Plan for Agriculture", and the setting up of small industry in rural areas in an attempt to stop emigration. He was later made a canon of his cathedral chapter. Hayes died in February, 1957 in a Tipperary nursing home following a minor operation. His funeral in Bansha was a national occasion, attended by leaders of Church and State. His grave is at the rear of the Church of the Annunciation, Bansha. He was later commemorated on an Irish postage stamp. Sources References Irish College, Paris alumni Alumni of St. Patrick's College, Thurles 1887 births 1957 deaths Clergy from County Limerick 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Irish agrarianists People educated at Crescent College Irish expatriates in France