Enda McDonagh (27 June 1930 – 24 February 2021) was an Irish priest of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. He was
ordained a priest in 1955 and served in the
Archdiocese of Tuam. He was noted for being the official chaplain to
Mary Robinson
Mary Therese Winifred Robinson ( ga, Máire Mhic Róibín; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who was the 7th president of Ireland, serving from December 1990 to September 1997, the first woman to hold this office. Prior to her electi ...
while she was
President of Ireland
The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Ireland and the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces.
The president holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.Constitu ...
.
Early life and education
McDonagh was born in Bekan, near
Ballyhaunis
Ballyhaunis () is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is at the crossroads of the N60 and N83 National secondary roads and on the railway line linking Dublin to Westport and Ballina.
It is thought that the town grew up around St Mary's Augu ...
, County Mayo, on 27 June 1930. He was only one of three in his primary class of 24 to continue on to secondary education.
He attended
St Jarlath's College in
Tuam
Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bronz ...
. He went on to study at
Maynooth University
The National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM; ga, Ollscoil na hÉireann Mhá Nuad), commonly known as Maynooth University (MU), is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. It w ...
, obtaining a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
in 1951.
McDonagh was
ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1955.
He undertook
postgraduate studies
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree.
The organization and struc ...
at Maynooth, obtaining a
Doctorate of Theology in 1957. He subsequently earned a degree at the
Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy ...
and a second doctorate in Munich in 1960.
Presbyteral ministry
McDonagh was appointed Professor of Moral Theology and Canon Law at the
Pontifical University at Maynooth in 1958, a post which he held until his retirement from full-time teaching in 1995.
In the early 1960s, he founded the InterChurch Association of Moral Theology. He was offered a permanent teaching position at the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...
in 1979, but turned it down because he did not want to emigrate from Ireland.
McDonagh was also an active supporter of the
ecumenical movement
Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
and was involved with the conducting of ecumenical retreats with the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...
and other
Anglican clergy. Consequently, he was appointed an honorary canon at
St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
Saint Patrick's Cathedral ( ir, Ard-Eaglais Naomh Pádraig) in Dublin, Ireland, founded in 1191 as a Roman Catholic cathedral, is currently the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. Christ Church Cathedral, also a Church of Ireland cat ...
, in 2007.
[
McDonagh was very critical about the Catholic Church's refusal to morally condone the use of contraceptives to prevent the spread of ]HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
.
One of his ex-students wrote, "In my opinion one of the greatest tragedies to befall the Irish Church in recent times, was its inability to harness the messianic qualities of Enda MacDonagh in a leadership role. but his role of 'outsider' in the Church has played a vital role for many".
McDonagh stated in a 2008 newspaper interview: "I’m a critical but loyal member of the Church. There’s no other church I want to belong to.....I got angry at times about certain things and wrote about them fairly strongly, but at the same time I wanted to be a priest of the Church."
Public service
McDonagh was a close friend of a former Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald, and officiated at his funeral Mass. He also served as official chaplain to President Mary Robinson.[McDonagh gets UCC Governing body post](_blank)
by Dick Hogan, Irish Times, 28 January 1999.
McDonagh sat on the Senate of the National University of Ireland, and was part of the board of the Higher Education Authority.[ He served a three-year term from 1988 as President of . He was appointed the chairman of the governing body of ]University College Cork
University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork.
The university was founded in 1845 as one ...
in 1999. One year later, he was conferred with an honorary doctorate by University College Cork. He was subsequently awarded an honorary Doctorate of Divinity by Trinity College, Dublin, in 2001.Recipients Honorary Degrees
University of Dublin - Trinity College.
Later life
McDonagh died on 24 February 2021 at the age of 90.
Publications
Books
Articles
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonagh, Enda
1930 births
2021 deaths
20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests
21st-century Irish Roman Catholic theologians
Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth
Academics of St Patrick's College, Maynooth
Religious leaders from County Mayo
People from County Galway
21st-century Irish Roman Catholic priests
20th-century Irish Roman Catholic theologians