Donal Roche

Donal Roche (born 16 April 1958) is an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church who has been the auxiliary bishop of Dublin and the titular bishop of Cell Ausaille since 26 May 2024.

Early life and education Roche was born in Drimnagh, Dublin on 16 April 1958, one of seven children to Joe Roche and his wife Sheila. He attended both primary and secondary school at Drimnagh Castle CBS.

Roche worked for four years as a clerical officer in Dublin County Council, before entering Holy Cross College in 1980 to study for the priesthood. He subsequently completed a Bachelor of Theology in St Patrick's College, Maynooth.

Roche was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Dublin on 22 June 1986.

His first pastoral assignment was as curate in Lucan South parish, Lucan in 2005, before being appointed co-parish priest in Lucan South the following year. In an interview with The Irish Catholic in 2022, he stated that while the local community had been "very welcoming" to newcomers, there was concern and anxiety over the recent influx of asylum seekers into Wicklow.

Roche was subsequently appointed parish priest of Wicklow, Kilbride and Barndarrig in 2022. In another interview with The Irish Catholic in 2023 following the arrival of a large number of asylum seekers in Wicklow, he insisted that in spite of "understandable" concerns about housing and homelessness, Irish people were still welcoming towards asylum seekers, particularly when meeting them face-to-face.

Roche was appointed moderator in Cabinteely and Johnstown-Killiney in 2023, with additional responsibility for the developing suburb of Cherrywood.

In addition to his pastoral assignments, Roche has served as secretary to the diocesan council of priests since 2011. Roche is also a fluent Irish speaker, who has celebrated Mass and administered the sacraments in Irish throughout the Archdiocese of Dublin.

In an interview with The Irish Catholic in March 2024, he opined that the Catholic Church must do more to reach out to young people suffering from anxiety, adding that the Easter message of Christ's victory over death is an opportunity to bring them a message of hope in a "much more secular culture" that was being greatly influenced by social media.

Roche was scheduled to be consecrated on 26 May 2024 in St Andrew's Church, Westland Row, Dublin.