The Most Reverend William MacNeely was the

Bishop of Raphoe The Bishop of Raphoe ( ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bis ...

from 1923 until 1963.

Early life and education

William MacNeely was born in Dec 1889; his father was a butcher in Donegal Town. MacNeely was educated at the High School in Letterkenny, and in Rome from 1906–12. He was ordained to the priesthood on 4 February 1912 and upon his return to Ireland was appointed to the staff of

St Eunan's College St Eunan's College ( ; ga, Coláiste Adhamhnáin), known locally as The College to distinguish it from the cathedral and GAA club, is a voluntary Roman Catholic all-male secondary day school (and former boarding school) in County Donegal, Ire ...

. MacNeely served for two years as chaplain with the Irish Battalions in the British Army in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Bishop of Raphoe

In July 1923, at the comparatively young age of 35, he was appointed as Bishop of Raphoe in succession to Bishop Patrick O'Donnell who had been appointed to Armagh the previous year. In that role he was responsible for the completion of Letterkenny Cathedral and negotiating with

Harry Clarke Henry Patrick Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) was an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. His work was influenced by both the Art Nouveau an ...

to finish the work of glazing the cathedral. Keen to develop religious life in his diocese, he invited the

Capuchin Franciscans The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM ...

to the

Creeslough Creeslough ( , locally ; ga, An Craoslach ) is a village in County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the t ...

area in 1930 to a site that would become known as Ards Priory. In 2008, it was reported that MacNeely was one of the two Irish episcopal coordinators who worked alongside "an intelligence-gathering secret service" set up in 1948 to monitor any sign of a "Communist takeover" of Ireland. In 1953, he was a member of the inaugural Episcopal Commission for Emigrants reflecting the high levels of migration that afflicted his diocese and wider Donegal for much of the twentieth century. He served as Bishop for over forty years attending the early sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

, and died in December 1963. The bishop was also a successful breeder of

Shorthorn The Shorthorn breed of cattle originated in the North East of England in the late eighteenth century. The breed was developed as dual-purpose, suitable for both dairy and beef production; however, certain blood lines within the breed always emp ...

cattle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacNeely, William 1888 births 1963 deaths People associated with St Eunan's College People from County Donegal 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland Roman Catholic bishops of Raphoe