Former priest becomes Celtic monk on Inis Mór for over 40 years

Dara Molloy, a former Catholic priest, has lived as a Celtic monk on Inis Mór for more than four decades.

Molloy left the priesthood after feeling constrained by the institutional life of the Church, describing his former community as “a square peg in a round hole.” He taught in Dundalk in the 1980s before a summer visit to the Aran Islands in 1982 sparked a new calling.

He settled on Inis Mór, a historic monastic island, and now works as a Celtic officiant, conducting weddings, naming ceremonies, funerals and seasonal festivals such as Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lughnasa and Samhain. Molloy often holds ceremonies in natural settings, including groves of trees, linking modern practice to ancient druidic traditions.

In a recent Zoom interview from his family’s summer house in Rush, Molloy explained that Celtic Christianity, which he describes as believing in “original goodness,” offers a spirituality distinct from the guilt‑laden legacy of the Catholic Church in Ireland. His new book, The Celtic Way, explores these traditions and argues they can be integrated into contemporary life.

Molloy’s story reflects a broader revival of Ireland’s early Christian heritage, celebrated through artefacts such as the Book of Kells and the continued use of natural sites for ritual.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Jonathan Borba / Pexels.