The Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora () is a

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in the west of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It is in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

of Tuam and is subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of

Tuam Tuam (; , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midland Region, Ireland, midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. The town is in a civil parishe ...

. The

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

of Kilfenora, previously a diocese in its own right, lies in the ecclesiastical province of

Cashel Cashel (an Anglicised form of the Irish language word ''Caiseal'', meaning "stone fort") may refer to: Places in Ireland *Cashel, County Tipperary **The Rock of Cashel, an ancient, hilltop fortress complex for which Cashel is named ** Archbishop ...

. The ordinary is Bishop Michael Duignan who was appointed on 11 February 2022.

Geographic remit

The geographic remit of the see includes the City of Galway, parts of the county of Galway and the northern coastal part of

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

. Large population centres include

Ennistymon Ennistymon or Ennistimon () is a country market town in County Clare, near the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Inagh River, River Inagh, with its small rapids known as the Cascades, runs through the town, behind the main street. ...

Oranmore Oranmore ( or ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, east of Galway city on an inlet of Galway Bay. At the 2022 census, Oranmore had a population of 5,819. The town is in a civil parish of the same name. Etymology Oranmore is the anglicisat ...

and

Oughterard Oughterard () is a small town on the banks of the Owenriff River close to the western shore of Lough Corrib in Connemara, County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located about northwest of Galway on the N59 road (Ireland), N59 road. ...

. The

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

church of the diocese is the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas.

Ecclesiastical history

The diocese has its origins in the ancient monastery of Kilmacduagh and the

Wardenship of Galway The Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas () is a medieval church building in Galway, Ireland,. It is a collegiate church and the parish church of St. Nicholas Church of Ireland parish, which covers Galway City. It was founded in 1320 and dedicate ...

(1484–1831). Following the abolition of the Wardenship (see

Edmund Ffrench Edmund Ffrench, O.P. (1775–1852) was the Roman Catholic Warden of Galway and Bishop of Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora. Ffrench was a descendant of the Tribes of Galway, though by the 18th century, his family had become Protestant. His father, Ed ...

) by the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

in 1831, the first Bishop of the new Diocese of Galway was appointed in the same year. In 1866, Bishop

John McEvilly John McEvilly (1818–1902) was an Irish Roman Catholic Church clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Tuam from 1881 to 1902. He was born on 15 April 1818 in Louisburgh, a small town near Westport, County Mayo, Ireland., ''The Episcopal Su ...

of Galway was made

Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the diocese of Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora. When he was appointed

coadjutor The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadjutor bishop ...

to the Archdiocese of Tuam in 1878, he retained Galway until he succeeded as archbishop in 1881. McEvilly continued to oversee Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora until 1883 when

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

united the diocese with the neighbouring Diocese of Kilmacduagh. At the same time, the ordinary of the United Diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh was appointed, ''in perpetuum'', as the

of the

Diocese of Kilfenora In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

. The bishopric of Kilmacduagh had been a separate title until 1750 when

Pope Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV (; ; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Benedict X (1058–1059) is now con ...

decreed that it to be united with the bishopric of Kilfenora. Since Kilmacduagh was in the

while Kilfenora was in the Province of

, it was arranged that the ordinary of the united dioceses was to be alternately

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of one

and

apostolic administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the other. The first holder of this unusual arrangement was Peter Kilkelly, who had been Bishop of Kilmacduagh since 1744, became

of Kilfenora in September 1750. Since that date, Kilfenora has been administered by that united diocese as an

Apostolic Vicariate An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church under a titular bishop centered in missionary regions and countries where dioceses or parishes have not yet been established. The status of apostolic vicariate is often ...

. Since the territory of an Apostolic Vicariate comes directly under the pope as "universal bishop", the pope exercises his authority in Kilfenora through a "vicar". In 2021 the

announced that the Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora would soon have the same bishop as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clonfert. This was accomplished on 11 February 2022 with the appointment of Michael Duignan, Bishop of Clonfert, to the Diocese of Galway as well.

Deaneries and parishes

The united diocese is divided into five

deaneries A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a ...

for which a

Vicar Forane A dean, in an ecclesiastical context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and many Lutheran denominations. A dean's assistant i ...

(VF) is appointed by the bishop. The VF exercises limited jurisdiction in the deanery on behalf of the bishop. The deaneries are divided further into

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

es or group parishes.Deaneries
. ''Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora''. Retrieved 24 April 2010. * Deanery of Galway City East – Parishes: Ballybane Ballinfoyle

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

Good Shepherd Mervue Renmore Saint Augustine Saint Francis Saint Patrick. * Deanery of Galway City West – Parishes: Knocknacarra Sacred Heart

Salthill Salthill () is a Coast, seaside area to the southwest of Galway city centre in the west of Ireland. The area is home to a number of tourist amenities and there is a 2 km long promenade, locally known as "the Prom", which overlooks Galway ...

Saint Joseph Saint Mary, Claddagh. * Deanery of Galway Rural – Parishes: An Spidéal Barna Castlegar Killanin Leitirmóir

Moycullen Moycullen () is a village situated in the Gaeltacht region of County Galway, Ireland, about 10 km (7 mi) northwest of Galway city. It is near Lough Corrib, on the N59 road to Oughterard and Clifden, in Connemara. Moycullen is now ...

Rosmuc

Shrule Shrule (, also anglicised to ''Shruel'', usage deprecated) is a village in County Mayo in Ireland.Shrule
Placenames Databa ...

. * Deanery of Kilmacduagh – Parishes: Ardrahan

Ballinderreen Ballinderreen (), also Ballindereen, is a village located on the N67 road (Ireland), N67 road between Kilcolgan and Kinvara in south County Galway, Ireland. Location and name Ballinderreen village is approximately 22 km south of Galway ...

Clarinbridge

Craughwell Craughwell (historically ''Creaghmoyle'', from ) is a village and townland in County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As of the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, the village had a population of approximately 1,000 people. Craughwell is ...

Gort Gort ( or ) is a town of around 2,800 inhabitants in County Galway in the west of Ireland. Located near the border with County Clare, the town lies between the Burren and the Slieve Aughty and is served by the R458 road (Ireland), R458 and R460 ...

& Beagh Kilbeacanty & Peterswell Kilchreest & Castledaly

Kinvara Kinvara or Kinvarra () is a sea port village in the southwest of County Galway, Ireland. It is located in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Kinvarradoorus in the north of the Barony (Ireland), barony of Kiltartan. Kinvarra is also ...

. * Deanery of Kilfenora – Parishes:

Ballyvaughan Ballyvaughan or Ballyvaghan () is a small harbour village in County Clare, Ireland. It is located on the N67 road on the south shores of Galway Bay, in the northwest corner of The Burren. This position on the coast road and the close proximity ...

Carron &

New Quay New Quay () is a seaside town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales; it had a resident population of 1,045 at the 2021 census. Located south-west of Aberystwyth, on Cardigan Bay with a harbour and large sandy beaches, the town ...

Kilfenora

Liscannor Liscannor () is a coastal village in County Clare, Ireland. It is located between Lahinch and Doolin, close to the Cliffs of Moher. As of the 2022 census it had a population of 135. Geography Lying on the west coast of Ireland, on Liscan ...

& Moymore Lisdoonvarna & Kilshanny.

List of Bishops

Bishops of Galway

Bishops of Galway and Kilmacduagh

and Apostolic Administrators of Kilfenora

References

External links

GalwayDiocese.ie Official Diocesan Website

(GCatholic website)

(GCatholic website)

(Catholic-Hierarchy website)

(Catholic-Hierarchy website) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Galway and Kilmacduagh Religion in County Galway Religious organizations established in 1883 Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora 1883 establishments in Ireland