Pope Francis has appointed Father Paul Connell, a priest of the Diocese of Meath, as the new Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois.
The announcement was made ahead of mass in St Mel's Cathedral in Longford this morning.
Bishop-elect Paul Connell replaces Francis Duffy, who was appointed Archbishop of Tuam last year.
A native of Mullingar in Co Westmeath, Fr Paul Connell was ordained in 1982.
He worked in St Finian's College in Mullingar and in 1998 he became President and Principal of the school and oversaw the college move to a co-educational secondary school in 2003.
Fr Connell resigned as Principal in 2019 but remained as President.
He was also Executive Secretary of the Council of Education of the Irish Episcopal, based in Maynooth, Co Kildare.
In 2020 he was appointed by Bishop of Meath Tom Deenihan as Chancellor of the Diocese of Meath.
Bishop Deenihan welcomed today's appointment saying: "Fr Paul has the experience, the ability, the dedication and the faith to undertake this important appointment at this time.
"We live in a time of change, and it is a challenging time to be a priest or bishop.
"Fr Paul goes with the prayers, appreciation, congratulations and good wishes of Bishop Michael Smith, with whom he also worked closely, the priests and people of the Diocese of Meath, and of myself."
Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Eamon Martin also congratulated Bishop-elect Connell.
"Bishop-elect Paul's appointment will be a loss for the priests and people of his home diocese of Meath, as well as for his colleagues working in the secretariat of the Bishops’ Conference in Columba Centre, Maynooth" he said.
"However his pastoral gifts, spiritual leadership and episcopal calling today, especially at this time of renewal for the Church in Ireland, will greatly assist the Church in Ireland as we continue to walk the Synodal journey at local and national level over the next five years."
Diocesan Administrator of Ardagh and Clonmacnois Father Tom Healy, said the appointment is welcome news for the diocese.
"Father Paul hails from the neighbouring Diocese of Meath, and has family roots in our diocese, so I feel that we are welcoming a near neighbour and hope that his transition to Ardagh and Clonmacnois will be a smooth and happy experience for him" he said.
"I know that Father Paul has wide experience particularly in the field of education since his ordination nd so he will bring much wisdom to his new role."
