William MacNeely
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{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Bishop
| name = Bishop William MacNeely
| title = Bishop of Raphoe
| image = William MacNeely, Bishop of the Diocese of Raphoe October 24, 1931.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| church = Catholic Church
| archdiocese =
| diocese =
| see = Raphoe
| term = from 1923 to 1963
| predecessor = Patrick O'Donnell
| successor = Anthony Columba McFeely
| ordination =
| ordinated_by =
| consecration =
| consecrated_by =
| rank =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = County Donegal, Ireland
| death_date =
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| previous_post =
}}
The Most Reverend William MacNeely was the Bishop of Raphoe(12 March 2010). [http://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/news/local/four_masters_remembered_1_2002927 "Four Masters remembered"], Donegal Democrat. Retrieved 10 November 2011. from 1923 until 1963.
Early life and education
William MacNeely was born in Dec 1889; his father was a butcher in Donegal Town. MacNeely was educated at the High School in Letterkenny, and in Rome from 1906–12. He was ordained to the priesthood on 4 February 1912{{cite book | last=Canning | first= Bernard| author-link= | title= Bishops of Ireland 1870-1987| location= Ballyshannon | publisher=Donegal Democrat| page=157| year=1988 | isbn= 1870963008}} and upon his return to Ireland was appointed to the staff of St Eunan's College.{{Who's Who | title=MacNeely, William | id = U52083 | type = was | volume = 1920–2016 | edition = April 2014 online | access-date = 31 January 2021 }}
MacNeely served for two years as chaplain with the Irish Battalions in the British Army in the First World War.{{cite web|url=https://sainteunans.com/pajo/?page_id=731|title=SaintEunans – History}}
Bishop of Raphoe
In July 1923, at the comparatively young age of 35, he was appointed as Bishop of Raphoe in succession to Bishop Patrick O'Donnell who had been appointed to Armagh the previous year.{{cite web|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bmacneely.html|title=Bishop William MacNeely [Catholic-Hierarchy]|website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}} In that role he was responsible for the completion of Letterkenny Cathedral and negotiating with Harry Clarke to finish the work of glazing the cathedral.{{cite web|url=http://www.macgreevy.org/style?style=text&source=art.fmr.048.xml&action=show|title=Tirconaill Revisited, by Thomas MacGreevy|website=www.macgreevy.org}}
Keen to develop religious life in his diocese, he invited the Capuchin Franciscans to the Creeslough area in 1930 to a site that would become known as Ards Priory.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}
In 2008, it was reported that MacNeely was one of the two Irish episcopal coordinators who worked alongside "an intelligence-gathering secret service" set up in 1948 to monitor any sign of a "Communist takeover" of Ireland.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/catholic-bishops-secret-service-kept-tabs-on-communists-26396370.html|title=Catholic bishops' 'secret service' kept tabs on communists|website=independent}}
In 1953, he was a member of the inaugural Episcopal Commission for Emigrants reflecting the high levels of migration that afflicted his diocese and wider Donegal for much of the twentieth century.{{cite web|url=http://catholiccommunications.ie/MigrationConference2007/Patricia_Kennedy_draft_conference_paper.pdf |title=Conference paper |publisher=catholiccommunications.ie |date= |accessdate=2021-06-24}}
He served as Bishop for over forty years attending the early sessions of the Second Vatican Council, and died in December 1963.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}
The bishop was also a successful breeder of Shorthorn cattle.{{cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/6275558185/|title=October 24, 1931|date=24 October 1931|via=Flickr}}
References
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{{succession box
| title=Bishop of Raphoe
| start= 1923 - 1963
| before=Patrick O'Donnell
| after=Anthony Columba McFeely
}}
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{{Roman Catholic bishops of Raphoe}}
{{Portal bar | Biography |Catholicism |Ireland| History}}
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Category:People associated with St Eunan's College
Category:People from Donegal (town)