Donald Arthur Richard Caird (11 December 1925 – 1 June 2017) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

who held three senior posts in 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 ...

during the last third of the 20th century. He was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

and educated at Wesley College and Trinity College in his native city studying Mental and Moral Science (Philosophy) where he won a scholarship in 1948 and graduated in 1949. He was ordained in 1950. He began his career at St Mark's, Dundela,

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

. He was Chaplain and an Assistant Master at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen until 1957. He was a lecturer in philosophy at University College of St David's, Lampeter. He was

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Rathmichael Parish,

Shankill, Dublin Shankill () is an outlying suburb of Dublin, Ireland, situated in the administrative area of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. Located in the southeast of the historic County Dublin, close to the border with County Wicklow, it has a population of 14 ...

and a lecturer in the

philosophy of religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known texts concerning ph ...

at the

Theological College,

. From 1969 to 1970 he was Dean of Ossory when he was ordained to the

episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

as the last

Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe The Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe, which was in the Province of Cashel until 1833, then afterwards in the Province of Dublin. History The title was ...

, a post he held until 1976. He was

translated Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

to the

Diocese of Meath and Kildare The United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare is a diocese in the Church of Ireland located in the Republic of Ireland. The diocese is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Alone of English and Irish bishops who are not also archbishops, the Bis ...

and he served there until 1985 when he was elected Archbishop of Dublin and

Primate of Ireland The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. ''Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in ...

. He retired in 1996. Donald Caird took a keen interest in the Irish language from an early age. He encountered members of Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise (the Irish Guild of the Church) at an Irish language service in Dublin's St Patrick's Cathedral in the early 1940s, which made a deep impression on him. Around this time, he was sent to the Gaeltacht in West Kerry by his father to improve his Irish, staying in the Dún Chaoin area and was fascinated to encounter members of his church community worshipping in Irish at a small church at Kilmalkeader (Cill Mhaolcheadair) on the Dingle peninsula, overlooking the Atlantic. He was appointed to Bord na Gaeilge, the state body for the promotion of the language, in 1975 while Bishop of Limerick, by Tom O'Donnell TD, Minister for the Gaeltacht. He died on 1 June 2017 at the age of 91.The Most Revd Dr Donald Arthur Richard Caird
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caird, Donald Arthur Richard 1925 births 2017 deaths Christian clergy from Dublin (city) People educated at Wesley College, Dublin Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Deans of Ossory Bishops of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe Bishops of Meath and Kildare Anglican archbishops of Dublin Academics of the University of Wales, Lampeter Deans of Kilkenny 20th-century Anglican bishops in Ireland 20th-century Anglican archbishops Diocese of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe Scholars of Trinity College Dublin