Dermot Farrell

Monsignor Dermot Pius Farrell was born in Castletown-Geoghegan, County Westmeath in 1955. He was educated at St Finian’s College, Mullingar and St Patrick's College, Maynooth. Now an independent affiliate of the newly constituted Maynooth College of the N.U.I., St. Patrick's houses both the Pontifical University and the National Seminary.

Ordained in 1980, Dr. Farrell undertook postgraduate studies at Maynooth. He had a brief tenure as curate in Mullingar in 1981. In 1985 he went to Rome to complete his doctorate at the Gregorian University, while serving on the staff of the Pontifical Irish College. On his return to the Diocese of Meath in 1988, he was appointed curate in Tullamore. In 1990 he was appointed to the Faculty of Theology at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth.

President of St. Patrick's College, Maynooth

Three years later, Dr. Farrell was appointed Vice-President and executive secretary to the then President of St. Patrick's, Dr. Michael Ledwith, his cousin. Allegations of serious misconduct against President Ledwith led to his resignation. Dr. Matthew O'Donnell of the Philosophy Department succeeded him as President. After Dr. O'Donnell's sudden death in 2006, Farrell was appointed President of the St. Patrick's College (Pontifical University and National Seminary). N.U.I. Maynooth was reorganised by an Act of Parliament in 1997. Dr. Smyth was appointed President of the newly constituted University College, Maynooth.

Dr. Farrell presided over the revision of the formation programme 'Pastores Dabo Vobis' at St. Patrick's. He also supervised the renovation of its heritage buildings. His time as President, however, coincided with a general decline in world wide vocations in the Roman Catholic Church.^[1]

During Dr. Farrell's tenure, Dr. Charles Curran, a controversial U.S. professor of theology, was invited to speak at the McDonagh Conference held at the college. The Conference was held to celebrate the Golden Jubliee of the eminent liberal theologian and Professor Emeritus, Fr. Enda McDonagh, a native of Bekan.^[2] It transpired that Dr. Curran had been censured by Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) in 1986, due to his opposition to Roman Catholic Church ban on contraception.

Parish Priest

Dr. Farrell served as President of St. Patrick's College for a decade. He was appointed Parish Priest of Dunboyne, in the Diocese of Meath, effective September 1, 2007. He replaced the retiring Monsignor Edward Dunne. Monsignor Farrell was replaced as President at St. Patricks by the Vice-President and Professor of Moral Theology, Dr. Hugh Connolly, of the Diocese of Dromore. Dr Farrell was appointed Vicar-General to the diocese of Meath in October 2009, whilst retaining his position as Parish Priest of Dunboyne/Kilbride.

References

1. ^ Dr RD Stevens (2003-10-11). "Irish Religion: The Empirical Situation". irish-association.org. http://www.irish-association.org/archives/david_stephens10_03.html. Retrieved 2007-10-11. 
2. ^ "Time for Mayo to honour Fr Enda". Western People. 2006-05-03. http://archives.tcm.ie/westernpeople/2006/05/03/story30700.asp. Retrieved 2007-10-10. 

External links

• The Ferns Report
• St Patrick's College, Maynooth Co Kildare Ireland
• The Irish Catholic Newspaper
• Catholic Diocese of Meath

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Name	Farrell, Dermot
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