CURATES.
The dates given for periods of service are not cast in stone, as absolute accuracy is not possible. It seems, with the appointment in 1817 of Fr. Magrath as parish priest, the parish acquired two curates. Previously, it appears from the records, insofar as they are complete and accurate, that some curates in that earlier period may have served in either Owning or Piltown as the need arose. In c. 1885 the then parish priest, Fr. John Purcell moved to the newlly built parish priest’s house in Ardclone Piltown. The two storey Georgian type residence built on land given to the parish by the Earl of Bessborough for a small fee. This house was sold in the late 1990s and the new parish priest’s bungalow, adjacent to it, was built and the parish priest moved in there in the summer of 2000.
List of Curates For Owning.
Beginning of 18th Century: Rev. Forrest. A priest or friar, who was on the mission here c. the beginning of the 18th century. He lived at Baungorriv and had a farm of 20 acres. The house in which he lived stood in Michael Coleman’s haggard. His Christian name may have been Bartholomew. In Paterick O’Neill’s manuscript collection is a poem in Irish composed by Arthur Parolawn Forrest i.e. Fr. Bartholomew Forrest.
1782 - 1783? Rev. John Gogarty. A Dominican friar who was on the mission in Templeorum and perhaps Owning as well and lived in Ballypatrick House in 1782. On September 172 he was registered in Kilkenny as John Gogarty of Ballypatrick in county Kilkenny. A regular priest, aged about 29. He was ordained deacon on 20th September 1777 by Dr. John Henry, Archbishop of Mucklin and was ordained a priest on the 14th day of March 1778 by the said Archbishop. Fr. Gogarty was a Connaught man. He continued on the Ossory mission until c. 1798 but ion what part of did he settle we do not know
September 1793 - 11th June 1801: Rev. William Byrne. During his curacy the 1798 church in Owning was built, and he lived in Fogarty’s two storey farmhouse in Fanningstown, a quarter of a mile from the village of Owning.
June 1801 - December 1802: Rev. Laurance Morrissey. An administrator.
December 1802 - 17th October 1805: Rev. Tighe (Guider?). A Dominican friar who according to the list at the back of an 1800-1840 Parish Register was curate from January 1806 to December 1806 and occasionally assisted the priests of the parish until c. 1826. He lived at Rathkieran where he had ahouse and a couple of acres. In the list of curates for Owning on page 38 of Owning Church 1798-1998, by Michael O’Donnell, the dates are given as above in bold and no more is said of him.
12th September 1810 - July 1811: Rev. James Hennebry. He was sent o the parish in August 1810 and left until July 1811, and he came a second time in September 1814. He can hardly be called a regular curate as the principla and sole object for which e was sent was to continue and complete the building of Templeorum chapel, which had run into considerable difficulty, without any priest to guide the parishioners. Fr. Hennebry brought the work to a successful conclusion. In his early years, he himself, was a carpenter. He worked on the roof of Templeorum chapel with hos own hands. He was born in Luffany, Mooncoin and died as parish priest of Callan in 1834.
5th October 1811 - 24th March 1819: Rev. Richard Mansfield. He died 26th October 1823 in his 44th year and is buried in Callan, his native place.
29th March 1819 - 23rd March 1831: Rev. Patrick Farrell. He was from Barronswood, Mooncoin. He began Philosophy in Maudlin Street Seminary Kilkenny, in September 1811 and Theology in the same September 1812 and finished his course in irchfield. After his ordination he was curate at St. Jonh’s from Agust 1816 to November 1818 and St. Mary’s from November 1818 to March 29th 1819. His remains and monument are in Templeorum churchyard.
May 1831 to 10th October 1832: Rev. William Hart. He was later parish priest of Freshford.
10th October 1832 - 7th August 1834: Rev. William Walsh. He was later parish priest of Mooncoin.
7th August 1834 - September 1835: Rev. Walter McDonald. Afterwards parish priest of Templeorum, see list of parish priests.
27th November 1835 - 28th February 1838: Rev. James Tobin. Later parish priest of Mullinavat. At back of 1800-1840 parish register, his first name is given as William.
6th March 1838 - 28th February 1843: Rev. William Hart.
12th March 1843 - 12th June 1845: Rev. James F. Ryan. Later parish priest of Clara. He lived at Owning.
13th June 1845 - 1856: Rev. Patrick Ryan. Accounted a saint, he lived in a house in Springfield, Ballyhennebry, Owning.
2nd August 1857 - 24th March 1863: Rev. Matthew Brennan. Later parish priest of Tullaroan.
27th February 1863 - 15th August 1868: Rev. Richard Hogan. Later parish priest of Conahy.
27th August 1868 - 28th April 1874: Rev. Thomas Power. He died in the U.S.A.
26th April 1874 - 9th July 1876: Rev. Peter Doyle. He was on loan from Diocese of Ferns.
9th July 1876 - 25th March 1877: Rev. Peter Comerford.
11th March 1877 - 9th August 1881: Rev. James Doyle.
9th August 1881 - March 1882: Rev. Michael Cody. Authorised curate.
March 1882 - 15th January 1884: Rev. Joseph Fennelly. He died in Templeorum in 1884.
21st January 1884 - 10th April 1886: Rev. John Cahill.
3/7th February 1887 - 11th May 1895: Rev. William Cahill. He became curate of Templeorum in 1895 and died as curate here.
11th May 1895 - 5th June 1899: Rev. Michael McGrath. In 1899 he was transferred to Castlecomer.
June 1899 - 24th April 1911: Rev. Patrick Keoghan.
29th April 1911 - 16th August 1919: Rev. Charles Cavanagh.
18th August 1919 - 12th June 1935: Rev. James Comerford. Later parish priest of Mullinavat. At back of parish register of 100-1840 1925 is given as the date of his departure from Owning. This is probably innaccuarate.
15th July 1835 - June 1942: Rev. Michael Guilfoyle.
June 1942 - 16th May 1953: Rev. James Meany.
May 1953 - 21st April 1959: Rev. Philip Hally.
May 1959 - 4th April 1964: Rev. Ignatius Phelan.
4th April 1964 - 28th December 1973: Rev. Michael Brennan.
28th December 1973 - 10th June 1978: Rev. John Lalor.
10th June 1978 - 2nd January 1985: Rev. Peter Hoyne.
2nd January 1985 - 15th August 1992: Rev. Patrick Dalton. He was made parish priest of Gowran in 1992.
15th August 1992 - 14th July 1994: Rev. Pachal Moore. Transferred from Rosbercon. He was the last curate of Owning as an entity, ending a line that went back to c.before 1793. Retired parish priest FR. John Woods ministered in Owning from 1994 to his final retirement in April 1996.
Curates who served Piltown.
Piltown is a relatively modern parish entity within the triple entity that is the modern Catholic parish of Templeorum. Fiddown and Owning are the more established with their civil parish roots in the 12th century. Piltown and Fiddown villages and their hinterlands, contain the greater porportion of the population of the entire parish. Owning and its hinterland is next and Templeorum and its hinterland having the lowest density of population of the triple entity. The present day village sof Piltownand Fiddown are Bessborough Estate villages dating from late 18th to early 19th century. In 1804 for instance, it is likely that neither building had commenced and certainly they were not completed. The landscape utterly changed and the change is ongoing.
1804 - 1805: Rev. John Guider.
3rd December 1806 - 28th March 1808: Rev. Nicholas Carroll. Later parish priest of Mooncoin.
3rd April 1808 - 28th April 1810: Rev. William Grant. He is buried in Glenmore.
9th May 1810 - March 1812: Rev. Richard Butler. Later parish priest of Lisdowneey.
23rd July 1815 - 15th June 1817: Rev. Edmund Cody.
1st June - 10th August 1817: Rev. Pierce Marum.
10th August 1817 - 6th November 1819: Rev. Patrick Walsh. He came as an aministrator from Mooncoin and he was appointed parish priest of Urlingford in 1819.
6th November 1819 - 13th January 1821: Rev. Edward Lynch. He died as curate of Comer and is buried in Coolagh.
13th January 1821 - July 1829: Rev. Joseph Butler. Later parish priest of Castlecomer.
3rd August 181829 - 2nd February 1831: Rev. Thomas Brennan.
August 1831 - June 1837 and for a time 11th October 1837: Rev. Edward Feehan. He died in c. 1838. His family hailed from Tybroughney and there is a window in the 1899 Ctaholic church in Piltown to the family. They had cornmill in Carrick-beg, Carrick-on-Suir.
27th June 1836 - 1st April 1840: Rev. Edward Rice. He may have died on April 23rd 1840 aged 27.
9th May 1840 - 3rd January 1844: Rev. Michael Nolan. He died as curate in Callan.
12th January 1844 - 25th June 1847: Rev. Patrick Dunne. He was made parish priest of Danesfort in 1847.
18th December 1847 - 15th November 1851: Rev. Joseph Moore. He was later parish priest in Castletown.
16th November 1851 - 27th September 1854: Rev. Thomas Walsh. Later parish priest of Ballyragget.
5th October 1854 - 7th August 1856: Rev. William Martin.
28th August 1856 - 31st May 1861: Rev. Philip Moore.
19th June 1861 - 13th May 1878: Rev. John Fitzpatrick.
22nd May - 14th June 1878: Rev. Patrick Walsh.
1st July 1878 - 1883: Rev. James Shortall. He seems to have been the last curate of Piltown as such, to live in Piltown, since 1887 the parish priest Fr. John Purcell moved into the new parish priest’s house in Piltown. Fr. Shortall spent the latter part of his curacy as administrator as the P.P. was sick.
7th April 1912 to 29th August 1916: Rev. Thomas Brophy. He served during the parish priest’s illness, until Canon John Purcell died in 1916.
Templeorum Curates.
Templeorum though containing the parish church since 1720, lost its parish priest residence, when Canon John Purcell moved into the new parish priest’s house in Ardclone, Piltown in c. 1887. Ballypatrick House then became the residece of the curate who served the Templeorum entity of the Catholic parish of Templeorum until 1923 when Fr. Clohesssey moved into the vacated R.I.C. barracks in the village of Templeorum and in 1980 the then curate, Fr. Maher moved into the newly built curate’s bungalow in the village, at the north west end of the graveyard, opposite the forge of Flavin’s. Even when the parish priest lived in Ballypatrick House and there and with a resident curate in Owning village, in the early and middle to later middle 19th century, Templeorum did have a curate, who either lived with the parish priest at Ballypatrick or who lived in the accomodation over the sacristy in the present 1810-14 church in Templeorum. He most likely lived in the accomodation over the sacristy, as older people remember their parents speaking of the curate and his housekeeper living there. It was where the infamous Fr. Morrissey lived while administrator, during the illness of parish priest Fr. Lalor. When Balllypatrick House was vacated by Canon John Purcell, we presume that the Templeorum curate then moved from the scaristy accomodation to Ballypatrick. We begin our list in 1874 as there has been overlap between parish priests and curates from the 14th century towards the middle of the 19th century, as to whom served in Templeorum or Owning and Piltown during that time. In 1874 matters have settled into the pattern that was to remain unchanged until 1996, due to the growing shortage of vocations to the priests spanning over three decades. The late 1960s the trend towards decline in vocations began it onward rush downwards.
30th October 1874 - 24th May 1875: Rev. Patrick O’Connor.
8th June 1875 - 5th May 1876: Rev. James F. Dalton.
4th June /1st August 1876: Rev. Thomas Dowley.
4th August 1876 - 28th February 1887: Rev. Edward Murphy.
18th June 1887 - 12th Decmber 1889: Rev. James Brennan.
16th December 1889 - 11th May 1895: Rev. Edward Brennan.
22nd July 1893 - 11th May 1895: Rev. William Carrigan.
11th May 1895 - 28th November 1908: Rev. William Cahill.
15th December 1908 - 1st February 1915: Rev. Andrew O’Keefee.
1st February 1909 - 1st February 1915: Rev. Columba Kennedy.
1st February 1909 - 1st February 1915: Rev. John Loughry.
19th July 1915 - 29th September 1930: Rev. John Clohesy.
29th September 1930 - 20th September 1937: Rev. Patrick Delany.
20th September 1937 - October 1943: Rev. Nicholas Carrigan.
October 1943 - 24th January 1965: Rev. Philip Madigan.
4th March 1963 - April 1964: Rev. Richard Phelan. Substituted for Fr. Madigan who acted as Administrator during the illness of CanonComerford.
23rd March 1965 - 28th December 1973: Rev. James Carroll.
28th December 1973 - 18th July 1982: Rev. Francis Maher.
10th July 1982 - 13th August 1992: Rev. James Dollard
14th August 1992 - 9th March 1996: Rev. Sean Dunne, Columbian Father. Retired due to ill health in March 1996 and died in January 1997.
28th September 1996 - May 1998: Rev. Daniel Delany.
July 1998 - July 2001: Rev. Thomas Corcoran.
July 2001 - present: Rev. John Condon.