John Dignan, Bishop of Clonfert, 13 June 1880 - 15 April 1953.

Dignan was a native of Ballygar, County Galway

County Galway

County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...

. He was educated at Esker, near Athenry

Athenry

Athenry is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies east of Galway city, and one of the attractions of the town is its medieval castle. The town is also well-known by virtue of the song "The Fields of Athenry".-History:...

, later attending St. Patrick's College, Maynooth

Maynooth

Maynooth is a town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to a branch of the National University of Ireland, a Papal University and Ireland's main Roman Catholic seminary, St. Patrick's College...

, where he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Clonfert

Diocese of Clonfert

The Diocese of Clonfert may refer to:* Diocese of Clonfert * Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe...

 on 6 September 1903. In 1919 he became administrator of the parish of Abbey, Loughrea, becoming its parish priest in 1921. While there his house was raided and bombed by the Black and Tans

Black and Tans

The Black and Tans was one of two newly recruited bodies, composed largely of British World War I veterans, employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary as Temporary Constables from 1920 to 1921 to suppress revolution in Ireland...

, who stole his property. He was targeted as he was a supporter of the independence movement. On 24 March 1924 he was appointed Bishop of Clonfert.