Administrators

Curates

From 1823 the Parish Priests / Administrators and Curates of the parish lived at Lakelands in Lismagunshin, which was built by Fr Thomas Tierney P.P. It was the first purpose built Parochial House in the parish. From December 1865 a Curate was appointed to minister in the St Mary's church area of the parish and he resided in rooms attached to St Mary's church.These rooms were replaced by a modern Presbytery in 1949 and the old residence was demolished in 1953. From 1950 until 1984 a Curate resided at All Saints,Doohamlet in a house built in 1950 in the townland of Dernaglug. From Sept 2004 the Pastor Emeritus of the parish lives there. Lakelands ceased to be the Parochial House in 1951 when the present Parochial House was built at Annyalla. The last priest to reside at Lakelands was Fr Laurence Marron, (An t-Ath Lorcan O'Mearain), and he took up residence in the new house at Annyalla on 8 September 1951.

The following is a list of those curates of whom records have survived:-

Fr. Brendan Kieran C.C. (SScc)

St Mary's, Clontibret

1998-2005.

Fr. Brendan (Cyril) Kieran CC (SScc)

Fr. Brendan Kieran was the curate at St Mary's and a priest of Clontibret parish from September 1998 until his death on 30 December 2005. Born, Cyril Kieran, in Ballinamore, Co Leitrim on 19 June 1928, he joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in the USA, being Professed in 1949.

Following his Ordination to the Priesthood in New Hampshire USA, on 21 September 1954 (Feastday of St Matthew), he returned to Ireland to help establish the Congregation's Seminary at Tanagh, Cootehill. He was Novice Master there for seven years. He also spent some years teaching in the Congregation's schools in the USA following which he was elected Provincial of the Ireland-Britain Province of the Sacred Hearts. When he stepped down as Provincial in 1974 he took up parish work in the Archdiocese of Dublin, establishing the Congregation's parish in Clondalkin.

He spent a number of years in retreat work and Scripture study in many and varied parts of the world, including the USA, Pakistan, France, England and Japan. He was an acknowledged Scripture scholar and gave great witness to his vision of the Church in the light of the documents and spirit of the Second Vatican Council.

Fr Brendan served as a chaplain to the Irish Defence Forces from the late 1970s During that period of his life he undertook two tours of duty in with the Irish UN Peacekeeping forces in the Lebanon. He retired from the Army Chaplaincy in 1988 and joined the mission in Clogher Diocese. Within Clogher he ministered in a number of parishes including Pettigo, Co Donegal, Aghalurcher (Lisnaskea and Maguiresbridge), Co Fermanagh, and Fintona, Co Tyrone before coming to Clontibret parish in September 1998. In Clontibret, Fr Brendan spent many many hours in the work of building the Christian community through knowledge of and nourishment by God's Word and Sacraments. His love of the Scriptures gave inspiration to the numerous and various people with whom he came into contact.

Fr Kieran died suddenly on Friday 30 December 2005. He was laid to rest in the cemetery at St Mary's church, Clontibret following his funeral Mass on Tuesday 3 January 2006. May he rest in peace.