Enda McDonagh

Enda McDonagh is a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tuam.

Early life and education

McDonagh was born in Bekan, near Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo on 27 June 1930 the son of Patrick McDonagh and Mary Kelly. He was educated at St Jarlath's College, Tuam and at Maynooth, where he was ordained in 1955. Prior to his theological studies Enda qualified with an undergraduate degree in Science from Maynooth, before studying theology in Maynooth, Rome and in Munich.[1]

Following subsequent graduate work in Maynooth, he was awarded a doctorate in divinity and a doctorate in canon law.

Professional career

He was appointed Professor of Moral Theology and Canon Law at the Pontifical University at Maynooth in 1958, a post which he held until his retirement from full-time teaching in 1995.

In the early 1960s, he founded the InterChurch Association of Moral Theology, and he is also involved with the conducting of ecumenical retreats with the Church of Ireland and other Anglican clergy. In 2007 he was appointed an ecumenical canon at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.

McDonagh has been very critical about the Catholic Church's refusal to morally condone the use of contraceptives to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.[2] One of his ex-students has written, "In my opinion one of the greatest tragedies to befall the Irish Church in recent times, was its inability to harness the messianic qualities of Enda MacDonagh in a leadership role. but his role of 'outsider' in the Church has played a vital role for many".[3]

In a 2008 newspaper interview he said "I’m a critical but loyal member of the Church. There’s no other church I want to belong to.....I got angry at times about certain things and wrote about them fairly strongly, but at the same time I wanted to be a priest of the Church."[4]

Public service

He was a close friend of a former Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald, and officiated at the funeral Mass for the late taoiseach.[5]

Dr. McDonagh served as official chaplain to President Mary Robinson.[6]

He served on the Senate of the National University of Ireland, and as part of the board of the Higher Education Authority. In 1999 Rev. McDonagh was appointed the chairman of the governing body of University College Cork.[6]

In 2000 Dr McDonagh was conferred with an honorary Doctorate by University College Cork. In 2001 Professor Mc Donagh was conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Divinity by Trinity College, Dublin.[7]

He served a three-year term from 1988 as President of The Irish Association for Cultural, Economic and Social Relations.

References
  1. Enda McDonagh Citation Honorary Doctorate - University College Cork.
  2. Irish priests seek Vatican flexibility on condoms
  3. The Good Samaritans - Memoir of a Biographer, Anthony J. Jordan, Westport Books, 2008. pp. 98-99. ISBN 978-0-9524447-5-6
  4. http://www.mayonews.ie/news/7-the-interview/5064-theology-with-a-mayo-accent
  5. Priest recalls devotion of 'the great integrator' The Irish Times - Monday, May 23, 2011
  6. McDonagh gets UCC Governing body post by Dick Hogan, Irish Times, 28 January 1999.
  7. Recipients Honorary Degrees University of Dublin - Trinity College.
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