Roman Catholic Diocese of Achonry

Diocese of Achonry

*Dioecesis Achadensis*

Deoise Achadh Conaire
Diocese of Achonry; Dioecesis Achadensis; Deoise Achadh Conaire
	Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Nathy, Ballaghaderreen
Location
Country	Ireland
Territory	Parts of counties Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo
Ecclesiastical province	Tuam
Statistics
Area	346 sq mi (900 km2)
Population; - Total; - Catholics	(as of 2015); 39,000 (est.); 36,234 (92.9%)
Parishes	23
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	Between 1111 and 1152
Cathedral	Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Nathy, Ballaghaderreen
Patron saint	Nathy; Attracta
Secular priests	41 (diocesan); 1 (Religious Orders)
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Sede vacante
Metropolitan Archbishop	Francis Duffy,; Archbishop of Tuam
Apostolic Administrator	Kevin Doran,; Bishop of Elphin
Map
Website
	achonrydiocese.org

The Diocese of Achonry (Irish: Deoise Achadh Conaire) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the western part of Ireland. It is one of the five suffragan sees of the Archdiocese of Tuam.^[1] The diocese was often called the "bishopric of Luighne" in the Irish annals. It was not established at the Synod of Rathbreasail, but Máel Ruanaid Ua Ruadáin signed as "bishop of Luighne" at the Synod of Kells.^[2]

At present there are twenty-three parishes in the diocese, located in Counties Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo. There are twenty-six priests involved in full-time parish ministry and four involved in secondary education.

On 27 January 2020 Pope Francis appointed Paul Dempsey — parish priest of Newbridge — as the new Bishop of Achonry.^[3] He received episcopal ordination in the diocesan cathedral, which is dedicated to The Annunciation and St. Nathy, in Ballaghaderreen, on 30 August 2020.^[4]

Geography

The diocese covers parts of counties Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo. The largest towns are Charlestown, Kiltimagh and Swinford.

Ordinaries

List of bishops since the Reformation:^[2]^[5]

Thomas O'Fihely (1547–1555)
Cormac O'Coyn (1556–1561)
Eugene O'Hart (1562–1603)
See vacant (1603–1629)
Andrew Lynch (Vicar Apostolic, appointed 1629)
James Fallon (Vicar Apostolic 1631–1662)
Maurice Durcan (Vicar Apostolic, appointed 1677)
Hugh MacDermot (Vicar Apostolic 1684–1707, Bishop 1707–1725)
Dominic O’Daly (1725–1735)
John O'Hart (1735–1739)
Walter Blake (1739–1758)
Patrick Robert Kirwan (1758–1776)
Philip Phillips (1776–1785)
Boetius Egan (1785–1787)
Thomas O'Connor (1788–1803)
Charles Lynagh (1803–1808)
John O'Flynn (1809–1817)^[6]
Patrick MacNicholas (1818–1852)^[7]
Patrick Durcan (1852–1875)
Francis McCormack (1875–1887; coadjutor bishop 1871–1875)
John Lyster (1888–1911)
Patrick Morrisroe (1911–1946)^[8]
James Fergus (1947–1976)
Thomas Flynn (1976–2007)
Brendan Kelly (2007–2017)
Paul Dempsey (2020–2024)

References

^ Diocese of Achonry. Retrieved on 14 January 2009.
^ ^a ^b Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S. & Roy, I. (23 February 1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third Edition, revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 328–29 and 412–13. ISBN 978-0521563505.
^ "Kildare priest appointed new Catholic bishop in west of Ireland". The Irish Times.
^ "Bishop Paul Dempsey".
^ "Diocese of Achonry". Catholic-Hierarchy. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
^ 'A Hidden Church: The Diocese of Achonry 1689-1818' by Liam Swords, published by Columba Press(1998).
^ 'In Their Own Words: The Famine in North Connacht 1845-1849' by Liam Swords, published by Columba Press(1999).
^ 'A Dominant Church: The Diocese of Achonry 1818-1960' by Liam Swords, published by Columba Press(2015).

External links

Diocese of Achonry. Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference website.
Diocese of Achonry. Catholic-Hierarchy website.
Diocese of Achonry. GCatholic.org website.

Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "The Diocese of Achonry". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.