John Kirby (born 29 October 1938) is a

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

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 ...

who was the Bishop of Clonfert from 1988 to 2019. He was born in Baylough,

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

, Ireland. He was educated at

Garbally College St. Joseph's College, Garbally Park (Irish: ''Coláiste Sheosaimh Naofa'') is an Irish voluntary Catholic secondary school situated in Garbally Park, the former seat of the Earl of Clancarty, near Ballinasloe in County Galway. It is a single-s ...

, and then went to St. Patrick's College, Maynooth. He earned a BSs there in 1959 in mathematical physics and experimental physics, and then studied for the priesthood. He was ordained on 23 June 1963 for his home diocese. He returned to Garbally College to teach, and also coached the rugby team there, being the first to notice the skills of

Ciaran Fitzgerald Ciaran Fitzgerald (born 4 June 1952) is an Irish former rugby union player. He captained Ireland to the Triple Crown in 1982 and 1985, and the Five Nations Championship in 1983. Fitzgerald also captained the Lions on their 1983 tour. After t ...

, who would go on to captain the national team. Dr Kirby was later appointed to the Presidency of the college. On 18 February 1988 he was appointed Bishop. He was ordained a bishop on 9 April. The

Principal Consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

was Archbishop Gaetano Alibrandi, the

Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland The Apostolic Nunciature to Ireland the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to Ireland. It is located in Dublin. The position of Apostolic Nuncio is currently vacant. The Apostolic Nunciature to Ireland is an ecclesiastical office of the Cathol ...

; his Principal Co-Consecrators were two of his predecessors Archbishop Joseph Cassidy, and Bishop William Philbin. The role of Bishop of Clonfert "''ex-officio''" includes the roles of Parish Priest of

Ballinasloe Ballinasloe ( ; ) is a town in the easternmost part of County Galway in Connacht. Located at an ancient crossing point on the River Suck, evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of Bronze Age sites. Built around a 12th-ce ...

and senior governor of

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

accepted his resignation on 16 July 2019.

References

1938 births Living people People from Athlone Roman Catholic bishops of Clonfert People from County Roscommon 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth People from County Galway People educated at Garbally College 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland {{Ireland-RC-bishop-stub