Bishop-elect well-known in Carlow through his previous work there

The bishop-elect of Ossory is well-known in Carlow where he worked as a lecturer for a number of years.  

Niall Coll was born on 25 August 1963 in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, Diocese of Raphoe.  

He was a lecturer at Saint Patrick’s College, Carlow from 1995 to 1998. 

Bishop-elect Coll’s ministry has comprised leadership in Catholic education and, along with his priestly appointments, has included conducting retreats for clergy, as a contributor to various publications, including Doctrine and Life, The Furrow, The Irish Theological Quarterly and The Tablet and as the Editorial Director of the Catholic School ethos journal Le Chéile.

On October 27, he sat across a desk from Monsignor Julien Kaboré, Chargé d’Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Ireland on the Navan Road in Dublin.

The day – and Fr Coll's life – changed when Monsignor Kaboré leaned forward and opened a file.

The words spun his mind a little at first: “Pope Francis has appointed you Bishop of Ossory.”

“It took me a while to percolate what it meant,” the 59-year-old Bishop-elect said ahead of his Episcopal Ordination on Sunday at the Cathedral of Saint Mary in Kilkenny.

“You don't apply – you're appointed. You don't know about it yourself or even know that you're being considered," he said.