Born in
Kilfinane,
County Limerick, Ireland, on 10 July 1929, he was
ordained to the
priesthood on 12 April 1953. He was educated in
Mount Melleray Abbey, Waterford, and then
St Mary's College, Aberystwyth, where he also learnt Welsh - a rare talent for Catholic priests in Wales-, and also
University College Cardiff. He gained a double First-class BA honours degree in Welsh. He studied for the priesthood at St. Mary's Oscott in Birmingham. He was appointed an
auxiliary bishop of
Cardiff and
Titular Bishop of
Sidnacestre on 5 February 1970 having previously been mistakenly assigned the already occupied title of Glastonbury. His
consecration to the
Episcopate took place on 1 April 1970, the principal
consecrator was Archbishop
John Murphy of Cardiff, and the principal co-consecrators were Archbishop
George Dwyer of Birmingham and Bishop
John Petit of Menevia. He was appointed the
Bishop of
Menevia on 12 February 1987. ==References==