Dublin - Concern was mounting in Ireland Monday over the welfare of an Irish priest who was snatched by six armed men from his mission's residence in a southern Philippine city.

The Irish Ambassador to Singapore has travelled to Manila to support the efforts to release 79-year-old Father Michael Sinnott, a Columban priest from Wexford in Ireland's south-east.

Ambassador Richard O'Brien, also accredited to the Philippines, is expected to discuss the kidnapping with foreign ministry officials and police. He will also meet representatives of the Columban Fathers in Manila.

A fellow Columban priest told Ireland's national broadcaster RTE that Sinnott, who underwent heart surgery a few years ago, did not have his medication with him when he was abducted.

Father Dan O'Malley said Father Sinnott's family was still coming to terms with news of the kidnap, he said.

Father Sinnott is the third Irish priest from the Columban Society to be kidnapped in the area since 1997.

While taking a stroll Sunday evening, the elderly priest was dragged away at gunpoint and transferred to a waiting van, which was subsequently found abandoned near a coastal area.

One witness said he was then beaten up and transferred to a small motorised boat, RTE reported. (dpa)