Niall Coll

Ordination ordained priest by = Séamus Hegarty date of priestly ordination = 3 July 1988 place of priestly ordination = Cathedral of St Eunan and St Columba, Letterkenny, Ireland consecrated by = Dermot Farrell co-consecrators = Alan McGuckianDenis Nulty date of consecration = 22 January 2023 place of consecration = St Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny, Ireland sources =

Coll began studying for the priesthood at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, in 1981, completing a Bachelor of Arts in history and geography from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, in 1984, and a Bachelor of Divinity from the Pontifical University in 1987.

He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Raphoe on 3 July 1988.

Coll returned to Ireland once again in 1995, upon his appointment as a lecturer at St Patrick's, Carlow College. He returned to the Diocese of Raphoe in 1998, serving as curate in Dungloe and simultaneously as chaplain and teacher at Pobalscoil na Rosann.

In 2001, Coll was appointed professor in religious studies and religious education at St Mary’s University College in Belfast. He returned to the Diocese of Raphoe once again in 2020, when he was appointed as parish priest of Drumholm (centred on Ballintra), before being appointed parish priest of Tawnawilly (centred on Donegal Town) the following year. Coll also served on the diocesan pastoral council and coordinated the promotion of the diocesan pastoral plan upon its publication in April 2022.

In an interview with The Irish Catholic in 2018, he emphasised the importance of intelligence and reason in faith development.

In conjunction with his priestly appointments, Coll has conducted retreats for clergy, contributed to publications including Doctrine and Life, The Furrow, Irish Theological Quarterly and The Tablet, and edited the Catholic school ethos journal Le Chéile. He has also edited a collection of essays evaluating Ireland's response to the Second Vatican Council.

On a national level, Coll has also served as a member of the Inter-Church Committee of the Irish Council of Churches.

Episcopal ministry Coll was appointed Bishop-elect of Ossory by Pope Francis on 28 October 2022.

He was consecrated by his predecessor, The Most Rev. Dermot Farrell, Archbishop of Dublin, on 22 January 2023 in St Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny. Bishop Coll was appointed as Bishop-elect of Raphoe on 13 November 2025 by Pope Leo XIV.

His installation as Bishop of Raphoe took place on 25 January 2026 in the Cathedral of St Eunan and St Columba in Letterkenny.