RAPHOE, Diocese of. – A city and diocese in north-western Ireland. It comprises most of County Donegal, within the ecclesiastical province of Armagh and the civil province of Ulster. The diocese has 27 parishes, 88 secular priests, and 9 regular clergy. In 1946, the diocesan population was 95,815, of whom 80,985 were Catholics.
The patrons of the diocese are SS. Columbanus and Eunan. Raphoe was an episcopal see until the Reformation; in the 17th century, Bishop John O'Cullenan resided at Killybegs, but since the early years of this century the cathedral and the residence of the bishops have been at Letterkenny. Neil O'Boyle (1591–1611) suffered greatly for the Catholic faith. From his death until 1625, the diocese was governed by vicars apostolic. John O'Cullenan (1625–61) was much persecuted and was sent into exile in 1653; he died and was buried in Brussels. From 1661 until 1695, the diocese was again ruled by vicars apostolic or administrators. James O'Gallagher (1725–1737), owing to the penal laws against Catholics, was forced to live in hiding on an island in a lake, where he composed sermons in Irish that were printed in 1736. In this diocese are the remains of the Franciscan abbey of Donegal, near which the lay Franciscan Michael O'Cleirigh and his collaborators compiled the annals of the kingdom of Ireland between the years 1632–36. In 1691, the ancient cathedral chapter of Raphoe was restored by Leo XIII.