Background
Born on 14 August 1932 in the village of Louth, County Louth, in the north of the Province of Leinster, he was the son of Joseph and Anne Frances Faul.
Born on 14 August 1932 in the village of Louth, County Louth, in the north of the Province of Leinster, he was the son of Joseph and Anne Frances Faul.
He was educated at Street Patrick"s College, Armagh, and thereafter studied for the priesthood at Street Patrick"s College, Maynooth, where he was ordained in 1956.
After a year studying Theology in Rome, he joined the staff of Street Patrick"s Boys" Academy in Dungannon, Company Tyrone, to teach Latin and religion. He was appointed principal in 1983. Manager Faul (being known simply as the Rev Fr Faul at the time) became actively involved in the Northern Ireland civil rights movement in 1968, participating in marches.
He protested vigorously against civil rights abuses by the British army and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).
He railed against killings perpetrated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (Ireland Republican Army). He also campaigned for the release of the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four and Maguire Seven before their causes became well-known and vindicated.
In 1981, as a visiting priest assisting the Chaplain, Monsignor Faul played a decisive role in ending the hunger strike. He tried to persuade families of the Hunger strikers in July 1981 that the campaign would not change the minds of Margaret Thatcher and her ministers and nothing could be gained by more deaths.
The families spoke to the prisoners, resulting in two prisoners (Paddy Quinn and Pat McKeown) being moved to the hospital wings where they could be federal
By 6 September, four other participants had joined them and the remaining prisoners agreed to end their campaign on 3 October. The Ireland Republican Army referred to him as Dennis the Menace at this time. In 1993 he described his role in the hunger strikes for a British Broadcasting Corporation "Timewatch" documentary
Father Faul was elevated by the Church to the rank of Monsignor in 1995.
This entitled him, henceforth, to be styled the Right Reverend before his name.
Following his retirement from the Academy in 1998 he became Parish Priest of neighbouring Termonmaguirc (Carrickmore). Monsignor Faul died of cancer in Dublin on 21 June 2006, aged 73.
Former hunger strikers and prisoners, Republicans and senior members of Sinn Féin attended the large funeral at Saint Colmcille"s Church, Carrickmore, many having come to respect the work carried out by Faul over his lifetime.