Athlone native is new Bishop of Galway

An Athlone native has been appointed Bishop of Galway.

Michael Duignan, who is currently Bishop of Clonfert, will now minister simultaneously as Bishop of Galway and Clonfert.

This morning it was announced that Pope Francis has accepted the request for retirement of Bishop Brendan Kelly as Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora and has appointed Bishop Duignan as Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora.

The two dioceses concerned (Galway and Clonfert), are to be pastorally administered by the one Bishop. They will retain their respective rights, obligations and autonomy.

The only change is that, instead of each diocese having its own respective bishop, one sole bishop exercises the pastoral governance of both dioceses equally, according to the spiritual and pastoral needs of the one and the other.

Born in 1970, Bishop Duignan is a native of Athlone, Co Roscommon.

He is the eldest of six children and attended Cloonakilla National School, Bealnamulla and Saint Aloysius College, Athlone. He studied for the Priesthood at St Patrick’s Missionary Society in Kiltegan, Co Wicklow and at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome. He was ordained a priest in the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Athlone by Most Rev Dominic Conway, Bishop of Elphin in July 1994,

In July 2019, Bishop Michael was named by Pope Francis as Bishop of Clonfert succeeding Bishop John Kirby.

Speaking at a Mass today in the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven & Saint Nicholas, at which Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo, was chief-celebrant, Bishop Duignan said: “I would like to thank His Holiness Pope Francis for placing this trust in me.  Thank you also to his representative in Ireland, Archbishop Okolo, for his gentle encouragement, guidance and support over the last while.”