Matthew Cullen (1864-1936) was an Irish Catholic priest and

Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin The Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, one of the suffragan dioceses of the Archdiocese of Dublin. The episcopal title takes its name from the towns of Kildare and Old Leighlin ...

Life

Matthew Cullen was born in Kilcarney,

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...

in the parish of Hacketstown on St. Patrick's Day, 1864 to Matthew and Elizabeth Kehoe Cullen. He commenced his clerical studies in

St. Patrick's, Carlow College St Patrick's, Carlow College, is a liberal arts college located in Carlow, Ireland. The college is the second oldest third level institution in Ireland and was founded in 1782 by James Keefe, then Roman Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, an ...

, and continued them in

Maynooth Maynooth (; ga, Maigh Nuad) is a university town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to Maynooth University (part of the National University of Ireland and also known as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth) and St Patrick's ...

. He was ordained in 1889 and served initially as a curate in Geashill, Killeigh and the Tinyland, he served as chaplain to the Curragh Army camp.

Career and activities

Cullen served as rector to St. Mary's Knockbeg College from 1895 until 1909, when he moved to Newbridge, prior to being appointed parish priest of Tinyland and then Bagenalstown before being elected a bishop. He was a keen supporter of Gaelic Games and regularly attended GAA matches in Kildare and Carlow. In 1927 he was appointed Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, succeeding Dr. Patrick Foley and served until his death. On 30 November 1933 Bishop Cullen consecrated the Cathedral of the Assumption in Carlow. Cullen encouraged and facilitated the establishment of St Patrick's Missionary Society at Kiltegan.History Parish of Killeigh
www.killeigh.com.

Death

He died on 2 January 1936. Following his death

Carlow GAA The Carlow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Ceatharlach) or Carlow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Carlow and the C ...

Stadium, which had just been completed, was named

Dr. Cullen Park Dr Cullen Park, known for sponsorship reasons as Netwatch Cullen Park, is a GAA stadium in Carlow, County Carlow, Ireland. It is the home of the Carlow Gaelic football and hurling teams. It has a capacity of 21,000. History The ground's establ ...

in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cullen, Matthew 1864 births 1936 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland Christian clergy from County Wicklow Alumni of Carlow College Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth