21 Facts About Brendan Leahy

Brendan Leahy's father taught for a year in Athea, County Limerick, in the 1940s, while as a child, he spent long periods of the year living in Ballyferriter, County Kerry.

Brendan Leahy lived in Crumlin until he was six, before moving to Ballyroan, Rathfarnham.

Brendan Leahy attended primary school in St Damian's National School, Walkinstown, and secondary school at Colaiste Eanna.

Brendan Leahy completed his undergraduate studies in civil law at University College Dublin between 1977 and 1980, and theology, spirituality and psychology at Mater Dei Institute of Education between 1980 and 1981.

Brendan Leahy studied for the bar at King's Inns between 1981 and 1983, before being called to the bar in 1983.

Brendan Leahy completed further undergraduate studies in philosophy at Holy Cross College between 1981 and 1983, and theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University between 1983 and 1986.

Brendan Leahy was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Dublin on 5 June 1986.

Brendan Leahy was appointed curate in Clonskeagh between 1991 and 1992, serving as the chaplain to St Kilian's German School, before being appointed in 1992 to the staff of Mater Dei Institute of Education until 2006, and Holy Cross College until its closure in 1999.

Brendan Leahy ministered in Sutton between 1995 and 1996, and was appointed archdiocesan censor in 1999 while serving as a curate in Lusk until 2004.

Brendan Leahy was later appointed registrar of Mater Dei Institute of Education between 2004 and 2006.

Brendan Leahy has served as co-chair of the theology forum of the Irish Inter-Church Meeting since 2010.

Brendan Leahy was nominated as an associate member of the Pontifical Academy of Theology in 2004, and appointed professor of systematic theology at St Patrick's College, Maynooth in 2006.

Brendan Leahy has been a visiting lecturer at the Sophia University Institute since its foundation in 2007.

Brendan Leahy was appointed Bishop-elect of Limerick by Pope Benedict XVI on 10 January 2013.

Brendan Leahy was the first bishop to be ordiained in Ireland since the election of Pope Francis the previous March, and in the diocese since Jeremiah Newman in 1974.

Brendan Leahy is President of Veritas and was appointed chair of the section on interfaith dialogue of the Commission of Evangelisation and Culture of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences in 2018.

Brendan Leahy added that while legislation provided for the introduction of abortion services in the Republic of Ireland from 1 January 2019, a culture must be promoted that defaults to protecting the unborn, rather than allowing abortion to become the default option for crisis pregnancies.

Ahead of a referendum on easing divorce restrictions in May 2019, Brendan Leahy expressed concern at the lack of discussion about the referendum, saying that it would be a shame for voters to tick a box without considering the social context and challenges faced by marriage in the present day.

Brendan Leahy asked for consideration to be given to establishing a marriage support agency in Ireland.

Brendan Leahy is one of two Irish bishops to have represented the Irish Episcopal Conference at the Sixteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in both 2023 and 2024, widely seen as a landmark event in contemporary Catholicism.

Brendan Leahy has both edited and authored a number of publications, both during his presbyteral ministry and his episcopal ministry.