Fr. Patrick Dunne (1818–1900) was an Irish

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

priest who ministered in Australia. He was born in Philipstown, now

Daingean Daingean (; or ), formerly Philipstown, named after King Philip II of Spain (then King of Ireland by ), is a small town in east County Offaly, Ireland. It is situated midway between the towns of Tullamore and Edenderry on the R402 regiona ...

County Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the Ancient Ireland, ancient Kingdom of Uí ...

. He trained for the priesthood in

St. Patrick's, Carlow College St Patrick's, Carlow College, is a liberal arts college located in Carlow, Ireland. The college is the second oldest third level institution in Ireland and was founded in 1782 by James Keefe, then Roman Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, a ...

, was ordained in 1846 and served for four years in the Diocese of Kildare. In 1850, he went to Australia, serving in the goldfields and many new church and educational developments. He returned to Ireland in 1859 after a dispute with the hierarchy in Melbourne. In 1859, he founded the short-lived St. Brigid's Seminary in

Tullamore Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal (Ireland), Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, Midlands Reg ...

which closed in 1866,A Walk Through Tullamore
Offaly History website. Dunne intended this to be a minor seminary preparing priests to minister in Australia. He was vicar general of Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia, and was the founding president of

St Patrick's College, Goulburn St Patrick's College, Goulburn was an Independent school, independent, Roman Catholic, Day school, day and boarding school for boys located in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. The college, founded by the Goulburn Catholic Diocese in 1874 ...

, in 1874. Dunne's nephew, John Dunne DD, was the inaugural

Roman Catholic Bishop In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy orders in the Catholic Church, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teachin ...

Wilcannia Wilcannia is a small town located within the Central Darling Shire in north western New South Wales, Australia. Located on the Darling River, the town was the third largest inland port in the country during the river boat era of the mid-19th c ...

References

1818 births 1900 deaths People from Daingean Alumni of Carlow College 19th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests 19th-century Australian Roman Catholic priests Christian clergy from County Offaly {{RC-clergy-stub