Roman Catholic Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora

Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Dioecesis Galviensis, Duacensis et Finaborensis
The Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, Galway
Location
Country	Republic of Ireland
Territory	Parts of counties Mayo, Galway and Clare
Ecclesiastical province	Province of Tuam
Statistics
Area	1,008 sq mi (2,610 km2)
Population - Catholics	105,707
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	United 5 June 1883
Cathedral	Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, Galway
Patron saint	Galway: Our Lady Assumed into Heaven Kilmacduagh: St Colman Kilfenora: St Fachanan
Current leadership
Pope	Pope Benedict XVI
Bishop	Martin Drennan, Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh, and Administrator of Kilfenora
Metropolitan Archbishop	Michael Neary, Archbishop of Tuam
Emeritus Bishops	Eamon Casey, Bishop Emeritus of Galway and Kilmacduagh
Map
The Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora, shown in red, within the Province of Tuam
Website
galwaydiocese.ie

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora (Irish: Deoise Ghaillimh, Chill Mhic Dhuach agus Chill Fhionnúrach) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the western part of Ireland. It is in the Metropolitan Province of Tuam and is subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tuam. The current Bishop is the Most Reverend Martin Drennan who was consecrated on 21 September 1997 and appointed Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh on 23 May 2005.

Geographic remit

The See covers the City of Galway, parts of County Galway and the Atlantic coast of County Clare. The seat (Cathedra) is in the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas.

Ecclesiatical history

The diocese has its origins in the ancient Kilmacduagh monastery and the Wardenship of Galway (1484-1831). Following the abolition of the Wardenship (see Edmund Ffrench) by the Holy See in 1831 the first Bishop of Galway of the new diocese was appointed in the same year.

In 1866, Bishop John McEvilly of Galway was made Apostolic Administrator of the diocese of Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora. When he was appointed coadjutor to the Archdiocese of Tuam in 1878, he retained Galway until he succeeded as archbishop in 1881. McEvilly continued to oversee Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora until 1883 when Pope Leo XIII united the diocese of Kilmacduagh to Galway and made the Bishop of Galway, in perpetuum, Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora.

Deaneries and Parishes

The united diocese is divided into five deaneries for which a Vicar Forane (VF) is appointed by the Bishop. The VF exercises limited jurisdiction in the deanery on behalf of the Bishop. The deaneries are divided further into parishes or group parishes.^[1]

• Deanery of Galway City East – Parishes: Ballybane · Ballinfoyle · Cathedral · Good Shepherd · Mervue · Renmore · Saint Augustine · Saint Francis · Saint Patrick.
• Deanery of Galway City West – Parishes: Knocknacarra · Sacred Heart · Salthill · Saint Joseph · Saint Mary, Claddagh.
• Deanery of Galway Rural – Parishes: An Spidéal · Barna · Castlegar · Killanin · Leitirmóir · Moycullen · Oranmore · Oughterard · Rosmuc · Shrule.
• Deanery of Kilmacduagh – Parishes: Ardrahan · Ballinderreen · Clarinbridge · Craughwell · Gort & Beagh · Kilbeacanty & Peterswell · Kilchreest & Castledaly · Kinvara.
• Deanery of Kilfenora – Parishes: Ballyvaughan · Carron & New Quay · Ennistymon · Kilfenora · Liscannor & Moymore · Lisdoonvarna & Kilshanny.

List of Bishops

Bishops of Galway

From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1831		Nicholas Foran	Appointed 16 April 1831, but did not take effect due to illness; later became Bishop of Waterford and Lismore in 1837
1831	1844	George Joseph Plunket Browne	Appointed 6 August and consecrated 23 October 1831; translated to Elphin 26 March 1844
1844	1855	Laurence O'Donnell	Appointed 26 September and consecrated 28 October 1844; died 29 June 1855
1857	1881	John McEvilly	Appointed 24 December 1856 and consecrated 22 March 1857; also was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Kilmacduagh & Kilfenora (1866-1883) and Coadjutor archbishop of Tuam (1878-1881); reliquished Galway when he succeeded as Archbishop of Tuam on 7 November 1881
1881	1883	Sede vacante

Bishops of Galway and Kilmacduagh

and Apostolic Administrators of Kilfenora

From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1883	1886	Thomas Joseph Carr	Appointed 12 June and consecrated 26 August 1883; translated to Melbourne 29 September 1886
1887	1908	Francis MacCormack	Translated from Achrony; appointed 27 April 1887; retired 21 October 1908; died 14 November 1909
1909	1923	Thomas O'Dea	Translated from Clonfert; appointed 29 April 1909; died 9 April 1923
1923	1936	Thomas O'Doherty	Translated from Clonfert; appointed 13 July 1923; died 15 December 1936
1937	1976	Michael Browne	Appointed 6 August and consecrated 10 November 1937; retired 21 July 1976; died 24 February 1980
1976	1992	Eamon Casey	Translated from Kerry; appointed 21 July 1976; resigned 6 May 1992
1993	2005	James McLoughlin	Appointed 10 February and consecrated 28 March 1993; retired 23 May 2005; died 25 November 2005
2005	present	Martin Drennan	Previously Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin; consecrated 21 September 1997; appointed Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh 23 May 2005

References

1. ^ Deaneries. Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora. Retrieved 24 April 2010.

• Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (Third Edition, revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 429–430. ISBN 0-521-56350-X. 
• "Diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh". catholic-hierarchy.org. http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dgalw.html. Retrieved 2009-02-12. 

External links

• GalwayDiocese.ie Official Diocesan Website
• Diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh (Giga-Catholic website)
• Diocese of Cill Fhionnúrach (i.e Kilfenora) (Giga-Catholic website)
• Diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh (Catholic-Hierarchy website)
• Diocese of Kilfenora (Catholic-Hierarchy website)
•  "Galway and Kilmacduagh". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.