Bishop of Limerick
Encyclopedia
The Bishop of Limerick is an episcopal
Episcopal polity
Episcopal polity is a form of church governance that is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop...

 title which takes its name after the city of Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...

 in the Province of Munster, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. In the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 it still continues as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...

 it has been united with other bishoprics.

History

The diocese of Limerick is one of the twenty-four dioceses established at the Synod of Rathbreasail
Synod of Rathbreasail
The Synod of Ráth Breasail took place in Ireland in 1111. It marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan and parish-based church...

 in 1111. After the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....

, there are parallel apostolic succession
Apostolic Succession
Apostolic succession is a doctrine, held by some Christian denominations, which asserts that the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles, from the first century to the present day, have inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority, power, and responsibility that were...

s: one of the Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...

 and the other of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

.

In the Church of Ireland, Limerick continued as a separate title when it was combined with Ardfert and Aghadoe
Bishop of Ardfert and Aghadoe
The Bishop of Ardfert and Aghadoe was an episcopal title which took its name after the village of Ardfert and townland of Aghadoe, both in County Kerry, Ireland.-History:...

 to form the united bishopric of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe in 1661. Since 1976, the Church of Ireland see has been part of the united bishopric of Limerick and Killaloe
Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe
The Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe is the Church of Ireland Ordinary of the united Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe in the Province of Dublin....

.

In the Roman Catholic Church, Limerick still remains as a separate title. The most recent bishop was the Most Reverend Donal Murray
Donal Murray
Donal Brendan Murray was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Limerick from 1996 to 2009. He had previously served as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Dublin diocese-Early life and ordination:...

, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick
Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick
The Diocese of Limerick is a Roman Catholic diocese in mid-western Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and is subject to the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. The diocese is in the secular province of the same name - Munster...

 who was appointed by the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

 on 10 February 1996 and enthroned at St John's Cathedral, Limerick on 24 March 1996. His resignation from this see was accepted on 17 December 2009.

Pre-Reformation bishops

List of Pre-Reformation Bishops of Limerick
From Until Incumbent Notes
c.1106 1140 Gilli alias Gilla Espaic Consecrated circa 1106; presided as papal legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....

 at the Synod of Rathbreasail
Synod of Rathbreasail
The Synod of Ráth Breasail took place in Ireland in 1111. It marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan and parish-based church...

 in 1111; resigned 1140; died 1145; also known as Gilbert
1140 1148 Patricius Consecrated at Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....

 in 1140 and took an oath of fealty there, however, his name does not occur in any Irish record; died after December 1148
c.1140 1151 Erolb Probably a successful rivil of Patricius; governed the see from circa 1140 until his death in 1151; possibly also known as Harold
bef.1152 1167 Torgesius Present at the Synod of Kells in March 1152; died in office
bef.1167 c.1186/89 Brictius Became bishop before 1167; assisted at the Third Council of the Lateran
Third Council of the Lateran
The Third Council of the Lateran met in March 1179 as the eleventh ecumenical council. Pope Alexander III presided and 302 bishops attended.By agreement reached at the Peace of Venice in 1177 the bitter conflict between Alexander III and Emperor Frederick I was brought to an end...

 in 1179 and 1180; died sometime between 1186 and 1189
bef.1190 1207 Donnchad Ua Briain Became bishop before 1190; died before 5 December 1207; also known as Donatus
1207 (Geoffrey) Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

 of Dungarvan
Dungarvan
Dungarvan is a town and harbour on the south coast of Ireland in the province of Munster. Dungarvan is the county town and administrative centre of County Waterford. The town's Irish name means "Garbhan's fort", referring to Saint Garbhan who founded a church there in the seventh century...

; nominated by King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...

 on 5 December 1207, but no evidence he was validly elected or consecrated
1208/15 1222 Edmund Became bishop before July 1215, and probably governed the see from circa 1208; died in office
1223 1250 Hubert de Burgo, O.S.A. Formerly Prior of Athassel
Athassel Priory
Athassel Priory is a ruined monastic site on the western bank of the River Suir 8 km southwest of Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland. The Athassel Priory of St. Edmund the King was a foundation of the Augustinian Canons Regular under the patronage of Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster who was...

; became custodian of the diocese 11 March 1223 and elected bishop before 7 May 1224; received possession of the temporalities
Temporalities
Temporalities are the secular properties and possessions of the Christian Church. It is most often used to describe those properties that were used to support a bishop or other religious person or establishment. Its opposite description would be the spiritualities.In the Middle Ages, the...

 circa 21 April 1225; died 14 September 1250
1251 1272 Robert of Emly Elected before 11 April 1251 and received possession of the temporalities 6 January 1252; died 8 September 1272
1273 1302 Gerald le Mareshall Formerly Archdeacon of Limerick; elected bishop before 11 January 1273 and received possession of the temporalities 17 January 1273; died 10 February 1302
1302 1311 Robert de Dundonald Formerly a Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....

 of Limerick; elected bishop before 2 May 1302 and received possession of the temporalities 30 July 1302; died 3 May 1311
1312 1336 Eustace de l'Eau Formerly Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...

 of Limerick; elected bishop circa 20 November 1312 and received possession of the temporalities after 1 December 1312; died 3 May 1336; also known as Eustace de Aqua
1336 1353 Maurice de Rochfort Elected before 7 November 1336 and received possession of the temporalities on that date; consecrated 6 April 1337; died 9 June 1353; also known as Maurice de Rupe
1354 1359 Stephen Lawless Formerly Chancellor of Limerick; appointed bishop 19 February 1354; consecrated before 7 April 1354; received possession of the temporalities 29 April 1354; died 28 December 1359
1360 1369 Stephen Wall Formerly Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...

 of Limerick; elected bishop before 6 November 1360 and appointed on that date; received possession of the temporalities 2 March 1361; translated to Meath
Bishop of Meath
The Bishop of Meath is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric.-History:...

 19 February 1369; also known as Stephen de Valle
1369 c.1399 Peter Curragh Appointed 19 February 1369; received possession of the temporalities 10 February 1370; translated to Ross circa 1399
c.1399 (Bernardus Ó Conchobhair) Translated from Ross circa 1399, but did not take effect
1400 1434 Conchobhar Ó Deadhaidh, O.F.M. Formerly Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...

 of Killaloe
Killaloe, County Clare
Killaloe is a large village in east County Clare, Ireland, situated in the midwest of Ireland. The village is on the south end of Lough Derg, while the settlement spreads across the River Shannon, with the County Tipperary side known as Ballina...

; appointed bishop 26 May 1400; resigned before October 1425; died 27 July 1434; also known as Cornelius O’Dea
1426 1458 John Mothel, O.S.A. Formerly a Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....

 of Kells; appointed bishop 7 October 1426; received possession of the temporalities 23 January 1427; resigned circa April 1458; died 1468
1456 Thomas Leger, O.S.A. Appointed 10 May 1456 whilst John Mothel was still bishop; deprived 23 November 1456
1458 1469 William Creagh Appointed 19 April 1458; died before July 1469; also known as William Russell
1469 1486 Thomas Arthur Appointed 14 July and consecrated 10 September 1469; died 19 July 1486
1486 Richard Stakpoll Appointed 18 September 1486, but was made void by the appointment of Dunowe; died before 20 November 1486
1486 1489 John Dunowe Formerly a Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....

 of Exeter
Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter at Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon in South West England....

; appointed bishop 13 November 1486; acted as a suffragan bishop
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...

 in the diocese of Exeter
Diocese of Exeter
The Diocese of Exeter is a Church of England diocese covering the county of Devon. It is one of the largest dioceses in England. The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter is the seat of the diocesan bishop, the Right Reverend Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter. It is part of the Province of...

 1489; died before April 1489
1489 1522 John Folan Formerly a Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....

 of Ferns
Ferns Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of St Edan is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Ferns, County Wexford in Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin....

; appointed bishop 24 April 1489; died 30 January 1522; also known as John O'Phelan
1524 1551 John Quin, O.P. Appointed 21 October 1524 and consecrated before 3 January 1525; resigned 9 April 1551; died 1554 (or 1555); also known as John Coyn or Seaán Ó Cuinn

Church of Ireland succession

List of Church of Ireland Bishops of Limerick
From Until Incumbent Notes
1551 1556 William Casey Formerly Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

 of Kilcornan
Kilcornan
Kilcornan is a parish in County Limerick. It is about seventeen Kilometers west of Limerick City on the N69. According to the 2006 census of Ireland the population of Kilcornan was 671, an increase of 39 since 2002. According to Lewis's Topographical Dictionary the earliest identifiable settlements...

; nominated bishop by King Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...

 on 6 July 1551 and consecrated at Dublin on 25 October 1551; deprived by Queen Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...

 in 1556
1556 1571 Hugh Lacy Formerly a Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....

 of Limerick; appointed bishop 24 November 1556; deprived 8 May 1571; died 1580; also known as Hugh de Lacey or Lees
1571 1591 William Casey (again) Restored by Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

 on 8 May 1571; died on 7 February 1591
apptd. 1588 (Denis Campbell) Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...

 of Limerick; appointed coadjutor bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...

 in 1588 to Bishop Casey; Campbell was later nominated to be bishop of Derry
Bishop of Derry
The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric.-History:...

, Raphoe
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 bishopric.-History:...

 and Clogher
Bishop of Clogher
The Bishop of Clogher is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clogher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Following the Reformation, there are now parallel apostolic successions: one of the Church of Ireland and the other of the Roman Catholic Church.-History:Clogher is one...

 in 1603, but died before consecration in July 1603
1594 1603 John Thornborough
John Thornborough
John Thornborough was an English bishop.-Life:In a long ecclesiastical career, he was employed as a chaplain by the Earl of Pembroke, and Queen Elizabeth...

Formerly Dean of York
Dean of York
The Dean of York is the member of the clergy who is responsible for the running of the York Minster cathedral.-11th–12th centuries:* 1093–c.1135: Hugh* c.1138–1143: William of Sainte-Barbe...

; nominated 20 September 1593 and appointed by letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...

 9 January 1594; translated to Bristol
Bishop of Bristol
The Bishop of Bristol heads the Church of England Diocese of Bristol in the Province of Canterbury, in England.The present diocese covers parts of the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire together with a small area of Wiltshire...

 4 July 1603; also known as John Thornburgh
1604 1626 Bernard Adams Nominated 5 August 1603 and consecrated April 1604; also held Kilfenora
Bishop of Kilfenora
The Bishop of Kilfenora was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the village of Kilfenora in County Clare, Ireland. In both the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church, the title is now united with other bishoprics.-History:...

 in commendam
In Commendam
In canon law, commendam was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice in trust to the custody of a patron...

 from 1606 to 1617; died 22 March 1626
1626 1634 Francis Gough Formerly Chancellor of Limerick; nominated 18 April and consecrated 17 September 1626; died 29 August 1634
1634 1642 George Webb Formerly Chaplain-in-Ordinary to King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...

; nominated bishop 6 October and consecrated 18 December 1634; died as a prisoner at the castle in Limerick on 22 June 1642
1643 1649 Robert Sibthorp Translated from Kilfenora
Bishop of Kilfenora
The Bishop of Kilfenora was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the village of Kilfenora in County Clare, Ireland. In both the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church, the title is now united with other bishoprics.-History:...

; nominated 7 April 1643; died in April 1649
1649 1660 See vacant
1660 1661 Edward Synge
Edward Synge
Edward Synge of Shropshire origins was appointed at the Restoration bishop of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe and was subsequently translated becoming bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross...

Formerly Dean of Elphin
Elphin, County Roscommon
Elphin, sometimes spelt Elfin , is a village in north County Roscommon, Ireland. It forms the southern tip of a triangle with Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon to the north west and north east respectively. It is at the junction of the R368 and R369 regional roads...

; nominated bishop 6 August 1660; became Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe in 1661
In 1661, the Church of Ireland see became part of the united bishopric of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe.

Roman Catholic succession

List of Roman Catholic Bishops of Limerick
From Until Incumbent Notes
1551 1556 See vacant
1556 1580 Hugh Lacy Formerly a Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....

 of Limerick; appointed 24 November 1556; received special faculties for the province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...

 of Cashel in the absence of the archbishop on 3 May 1575; died 1580
1582 1591 Cornelius O'Boyle Appointed 20 August 1582; died after 1591
1591 1602 See vacant
apptd. 1602 Richard Cadan Appointed vicar apostolic by papal brief
Papal brief
The Papal Brief is a formal document emanating from the Pope, in a somewhat simpler and more modern form than a Papal Bull.-History:The introduction of briefs, which occurred at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Eugenius IV , was clearly prompted for the same desire for greater simplicity...

 22 February 1602
1620 1646 Richard Arthur Named as vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...

 of Limerick in a government report in 1613, and as bishop-elect in a later report 1617; appointed 18 May 1620 and consecrated September 1623; died 23 May 1646
1646 1654 Edmund O'Dwyer Appointed coadjutor bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...

 (with right of succession) 6 February and consecrated 7 May 1645; succeeded 23 May 1646; died 5 April 1654
1657 1685 James Dowley Appointed vicar apostolic by papal brief 17 April 1657 and again 31 July 1669; appointed bishop 4 May 1676 and by papal brief 8 March 1677; died circa January 1685
1698 1702 John O'Mollony Translated from Killaloe 24 January 1689, but continued as Apostolic Administrator
Apostolic Administrator
An apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration...

 of Killaloe 1689-1702; died 3 September 1702
1702 1720 See vacant
1720 1737 Cornelius Ó Caoimh
Cornelius Ó Caoimh
Cornelius Ó Caoimh, aka Cornelius O'Keefe, Irish Bishop of Limerick, c. 1670-4th May 1737.-Biography:Ó Caoimh's family had being expelled from their property at Glanville during the 1650's, eventually settling at Drumkeene, County Limerick, where he was born. His parents were Honor Ni Dalaigh and...

Appointed 7 March 1720; died 4 May 1737
1737 1759 Robert Lacy Appointed 30 August 1737 and consecrated 23 February 1638; died 4 August 1759
1759 1778 Daniel O'Kearney Appointed 27 November 1759 and consecrated 27 January 1760; died 24 January 1778
(1778) (John Butler, S.J.) Appointed 10 April 1778, but was not accepted
1779 1796 Denis Conway Appointed 25 February and consecrated 20 June 1779; died 19 June 1796
1796 1813 John Young Appointed coadjutor bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...

 (with right of succession) 4 January and consecrated 20 May 1793; succeeded 19 June 1796; died 22 September 1813
1814 1828 Charles Tuohy Appointed 1 October 1814 and consecrated 23 April 1815; died 17 March 1828
1828 1864 John Ryan Appointed coadjutor bishop (with right of succession) 31 September and consecrated 11 December 1825; succeeded 17 March 1828; died 6 June 1864
1864 1886 George Butler Appointed 10 June and consecrated 25 July 1861; succeeded 6 June 1864; died 3 February 1886
1886 1917 Edward Thomas O'Dwyer Appointed 18 May and consecrated 29 June 1886; died 19 August 1917
1918 1923 Denis Hallinan Appointed 10 January and consecrated 10 March 1918; died 2 July 1923
1923 1945 David Keane Appointed 24 December 1923 and consecrated 2 March 1924; died 12 March 1945
1945 1958 Patrick O'Neill Appointed 15 December 1945 and consecrated 24 February 1946; died 26 March 1958
1958 1973 Henry Murphy Appointed 1 July and consecrated 31 August 1958; died 8 October 1973
1974 1995 Jeremiah Newman Appointed 17 May and consecrated 14 July 1974; died 3 April 1995
1994 1996 (John Magee
John Magee (bishop)
John Magee, SPS was a Roman Catholic bishop in Ireland. He resigned his episcopal seat on 24 March 2010.-Early life:...

, Bishop of Cloyne
Bishop of Cloyne
The Bishop of Cloyne is an episcopal title which takes its name after the small town of Cloyne in County Cork, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it is a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics....

)
Acted as Apostolic Administrator
Apostolic Administrator
An apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration...

 of the Diocese of Limerick
Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick
The Diocese of Limerick is a Roman Catholic diocese in mid-western Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and is subject to the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. The diocese is in the secular province of the same name - Munster...

 from July 1994 to March 1996.
1996 2009 Donal Brendan Murray
Donal Murray
Donal Brendan Murray was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Limerick from 1996 to 2009. He had previously served as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Dublin diocese-Early life and ordination:...

Previously Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...

 of Dublin
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dublin, , is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in eastern Ireland centred around the republic's capital city – Dublin. The see of Dublin was raised to the status of a Metropolitan Province by the Synod of Kells in 1152. Its jurisdiction includes much of the Province of...

 and Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...

 of Glenndálocha
Bishop of Glendalough
The Bishop of Glendalough was an episcopal title which took its name after the monastery at Glendalough in County Wicklow, Ireland. An Irish version of the place name, Glenndálocha, is now used for a titular see.-History:...

 1982-1996; appointed bishop of Limerick on 10 February 1996 and installed at St John's Cathedral, Limerick on 24 March 1996; resignation accepted 17 December 2009
2009 present See vacant
Sede vacante
Sede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...


Further reading

  • Begley, John, The Diocese of Limerick, Ancient and Medieval. Dublin: Browne & Nolan, 1906.
  • Gillebert of Limerick:the Prelate's Present to the Primate of England, John Lucey, North Munster Antiquarian Journal 6, 2006, pp. 5–14
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK