'The Homes of Donegal' give Bishop Niall Coll strength for new post in Ossory

As he was being ordained as the 96th Bishop of Ossory on Sunday at the Cathedral of Mary, Kilkenny, Niall Coll was taken back to his school days.

In his final two years at St Baithin's National School in St Johnston, he was taught by Seán McBride, the Cruit Island native and renowned song writer.

A little under 20 years before Niall Coll entered his classroom, Mr McBride penned the lyrics to The Homes of Donegal, made famous by singers such as Paul Brady.

Fr Kieran O’Shea preached the Homily at Sunday's Episcopal Ordination and recalled his own late mother playing the accordion and singing the popular.

Fr Niall Coll: The day everything changed and going from St Johnston to Bishophood

This Sunday, St Johnston native Fr Niall Coll will be ordained as Bishop of Ossory. He reflects on his journey and his hopes for the future of the Church

“We genuinely hope that the sentiments expressed in the first line of that song long-associated with your native county will not come to pass: ‘I just called in to see you all. I’ll only stay a while’,” Fr O'Shea said.

“On the contrary, we hope that you will remain with us indefinitely, and that before too long the words of The Moon Behind The Hill, The Rose of Mooncoin, Lovely Laois, and The Offaly Rover will flow from your lips as melodiously as The Homes of Donegal.”

During his time at St Baithin's NS – in a since-demolished building located at Blueball - where he would become principal, Mr McBride also taught Willie Coll, the father of the new Bishop of Ossory.

His parents, Willie and Kathleen, and his siblings – Gerard, Anne Marie and Catriona – were present on Sunday for the ordination.

Monsignor Dan Carr, the Parish Priest in St Johnston who taught at St Eunan's College during Niall Coll's time as a student and St Johnston-born priest Fr Oliver McCrossan were among the priests from the Raphoe Diocese to make the journey.

Fellow parishioners, neighbours and friends were also in the congregation.

The Chief Ordaining Prelate was Archbishop Dermot Farrell, Archbishop of Dublin, who will be was assisted by Co-Consecrators Bishop Denis Nulty, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin and outgoing Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Ossory, and Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ, Bishop of Raphoe.

Monsignor Julien Kaboré, Chargé d’Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Ireland, who relayed the news to the then Fr Coll that Pope Francis had chosen him as the new Bishop of Ossory, was also present.

Bishop Coll addressed the packed Cathedral to give a flavour of his own view of modern and future Church.

“Truth be told, committed Irish Catholics already know full well that we need to build up from the ground a new way of being Church,” he said.

This, he mentioned, would be a Church 'which will seek to blend the old faith and, where possible, the new ground of contemporary Irish society in a new organic synthesis'.

He said: “That is the work of the process of Synodality, of journeying together as disciples, so precious to the heart of Pope Francis, and I would like to commend the discussions, reflections and actions which are already underway in Ossory as part of the beginnings of this process of renewal in the life of the diocese.

“In an era marked by strong currents of secularisation, materialism and individualism, when many people have pushed God to the margins of life, if they haven’t forgotten about Him entirely, Christians can be tempted to lose hope and retreat into a holy huddle.

“And this is exacerbated for many by the concrete problems of life today as we try to recover from the restrictions on life visited by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Then there’s the current war in Ukraine and civil conflicts raging elsewhere in such places as Ethiopia, Congo, Yemen which rarely get reported in the West.”

Noting the economic difficulties, especially for young people, rising prices, climate change and social unrest especially in relation to the family, Bishop Coll – whose chosen motto is 'Christ Jesus our hope' – acknowledged that some people may be tempted to lose heart.

“But to despair would be a response that would fly in the face of the Gospel,”he said..

Bishop Denis Nulty was a student alongside Bishop Coll in Maynooth.

Bishop Nulty said: “I am keenly aware of his immense capabilities, his deep faith and his great energy for all aspects of ministry.

“As a theologian his love of learning and his great appreciation of God revealed to us will ensure that he continues to guide the faithful of Ossory ever closer to the Lord.”

In July 1988, after seven years studying in Maynooth, he was one of five candidates for the Sacrament of Holy Orders at St Eunan's Cathedral.

In 2019, Fr Coll returned to parish duties as the parish priest of Drumholm after 18 years teaching at St Mary's University in Belfast.

He was most recently the Parish Priest of Tawnawilly and spent some time in Rome before taking up the post in St Mary's.

Home was never far from his heart. Now, he feels it more than ever.

In closing his Homily, Fr O'Shea,again quoting Mr McBride's famous words, said: “Niall, as you begin your service as Bishop of Ossory, may your heart be like the mountains in the homes of Donegal.”