No individual quite captures the symmetry of this story as perfectly as Fr Victor Akongwale, a priest of the diocese of Ogoja in southeastern Nigeria. “In all his years in Africa, he built over 500 schools and was bishop of two dioceses: Ogoja and Abakaliki,” Fr Akongwale says of McGettrick. I am proud that I’m a priest and I am very proud that I’m in Ireland where my story started. Photograph: Conor McKeownBefore his transfer to Co Mayo, Fr Akongwale served in Switzerland and Southwark in London. Coming from Africa, Fr Akongwale has found the weather in the west of Ireland “challenging” but he is “happy in Ireland”.

Source: The Irish Times December 26, 2025 12:24 UTC