The Dean of Limerick and Ardfert is a

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

official based in the Cathedral Church of St Mary's in the united diocese of Limerick, Killaloe and Ardfert. There had been two separate deans, Dean of Limerick and Dean of Ardfert, until the position was united in 1987. The Dean of Ardfert had been based at

Ardfert Cathedral The Ardfert Cathedral () is a ruined cathedral in Ardfert, County Kerry, Ireland. Dedicated to Saint Brendan, it was the seat of the Diocese of Ardfert from 1117. It is now a heritage tourism site. History Ardfert was the site of a Celtic C ...

( St Brendan's Cathedral), until it was destroyed by fire in 1641. The current incumbent, since 2017, is The Very Reverend Niall Sloane.

List of deans of Limerick

*1588–1603 Denis Campbell (appointed

Bishop of Derry The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the monastic settlement originally founded at Daire Calgach and later known as Daire Colm Cille, Anglicised as Derry. In the Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in ...

Raphoe Raphoe ( ; ) is a small town in County Donegal in the north-west of Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan. It gave its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was l ...

and

Clogher Clogher (; , ) is a village and civil parish in the border area of south County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Blackwater, 5.8 miles from the border crossing to County Monaghan. It stands on the townlands of Clogher Demesne ...

but died before consecration in 1603) *1603–1635 George Andrew (afterwards Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin 1635) *1635–1635 Michael Wandesford (afterwards

Dean of Derry The Dean of Derry is based at St Columb's Cathedral, Derry in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe in the Church of Ireland. The current Dean of Derry is Raymond Stewart. He was appointed to the cathedral in December 2016 and inaugurated on 28 March 20 ...

1635) *1635 Henry Sutton *1640 Robert Naylor *1661–1666 Richard Boyle (afterwards Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin 1666) *1666–1679 John Smith (afterwards

Bishop of Killala and Achonry The Bishop of Killala and Achonry was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Killala and Achonry in the Ecclesiastical Province of Tuam. The diocese comprised part of Counties Mayo and Sligo in Ireland. The Episcopal see was a union ...

1679) *1679 Thomas Hynde *1692–1704 Ezechiel Webbe *1704 George Water Story *1721 Thomas Bindon *1740–1766 Charles Massy *1766–1771 John Averell (afterwards

Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe The Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe was the Ordinary (officer), Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe, which was in the Ecclesiastical province, Province of Archbishop of Cashel, Cashel until 1833, the ...

1771) *1771–1809 Maurice Crosbie *1809–1844 Arthur John Preston *1844–1849

William Higgin William Higgin (1793 – 12 July 1867) was the 18th Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe from 1849 until 1853, when he was translated to Derry and Raphoe. Life Higgin was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating BA as 13th wrang ...

(afterwards

1849) *1849–1868 Anthony Kirwan *1868–1872 Maurice Day (afterwards

Bishop of Cashel and Waterford The Bishop of Cashel and Waterford (''Full title'': Bishop of Cashel, County Tipperary, Cashel and Emly with Waterford and Lismore, County Waterford, Lismore) was the Ordinary (officer), Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Cashel and Wate ...

1872) *1872–1899 Thomas Bunbury (afterwards

1849) *1899–1905 James Gregg *1905–1913 Lucius O'Brien *1913–1928 Aylmer Hackett *1929–1953 George Swain *1954–1971 Maurice Talbot *1971–1981 Walton Empey (afterwards

Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe The Bishop of Limerick, Killaloe and Ardfert or the Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe ( ; ''Full title'': Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert, Aghadoe, Killaloe, Kilfenora, Clonfert, Kilmacduagh and Emly) is the Church of Ireland Ordinary of the united ...

, 1981) *1981–1986 George Chambers ''See below for Deans of Limerick and Ardfert''

Deans of Ardfert

*1603–1603 Richard Southwell *1603 Robert Chaffe *1619/20–1628 William Steere (afterwards

Bishop of Ardfert and Aghadoe The Bishop of Ardfert and Aghadoe (usually simply referred to as the Bishop of Ardfert) was an episcopal title which took its name after the village of Ardfert and townland of Aghadoe, both in County Kerry, Ireland. History The diocese of Rá ...

1628) *1630 Charles Baden *1635 Thomas Gray *1661 Daniel Witter (afterwards

Dean of Down The Dean of Down is based in The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Downpatrick within the Diocese of Down and Dromore of the Church of Ireland. The current incumbent is T. Henry Hull. Deans of Down *1541 Connor Magennis *1609 ...

and later

Bishop of Killaloe The Bishop of Killaloe ( ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Killaloe in County Clare, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bis ...

1669) *1664

Thomas Bladen Thomas Bladen (23 February 1698 – 2 February 1780) was a colonial governor in North America and politician who sat in the British House of Commons between 1727 and 1741. He served as the 19th Proprietary Governor of Province of Maryland, Mary ...

*1686 John Richards *1727/8 James Bland *1728 William Smyth (Archdeacon of Meath, 1730) *1732–1747 Charles Meredyth, son of Thomas Meredyth of Newtown, co. Meath *1747–1766

Sir Philip Hoby, 5th Baronet Sir Philip Hoby, 5th Baronet ( – 29 June 1766) was a clergyman in the Church of Ireland during the 18th century. Biography His elder brother was Sir Thomas Hoby, 4th Baronet (–1744), MP for Great Marlow (UK Parliament constituency), Great Ma ...

*1766–1772 Edward Bayly (afterwards Archdeacon of Dublin, 1772) *1785–1802 Thomas Graves (afterwards Dean of Connor, 1802) *1802–1842 Gilbert Holmes *1847–1861 Arthur Irwin *1861–1879

John Godfrey Day John Godfrey Day (b List of townlands of County Kerry, Kiltallagh 1802- d Dublin 1879) was a priest in the Church of Ireland during the nineteenth century. Day was born in County Kerry and educated at Trinity College, Dublin. Rector Valentia 18 ...

(died 1878) *1879–1894

Thomas Moriarty Thomas Moriarty (1812, Dingle – 1894, Tralee) was a priest in the Church of Ireland during the nineteenth century. Moriarty was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. Moriarty was ordained in 1837. He served curacies at Kingscourt and Ven ...

*1895–1906 Abraham Isaac *1906–1911

James MacEwan James MacEwan was Dean of Ardfert from 1906 until his death on 10 January 1911. MacEwan was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and ordained in 1858. He began his ecclesiastical career with a Curate, curacy at List of townlands of County Ca ...

*1911–1917

Robert Beatty Robert Rutherford Beatty (19 October 1909 – 3 March 1992) was a Canadian actor who worked in film, television and radio for most of his career and was especially known in the UK. Early years Beatty was born in Hamilton, Ontario, the son of ...

*1918–1924 George Power *1924–1946 Robert Rowan *1947–1959 Charles Haines *1959–1966 Robert Thompson *1966–1985 Charles Gray-Stack

Deans of Limerick and Ardfert

*1987–2011 Maurice Sirr *2012–2017 Sandra Pragnell *2017–current Niall Sloane

References

{{Deans in the Church of Ireland Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe Limerick and Ardfert