Donal McMahon is my name. I'm a parishioner of Saggart, living in Citywest. My involvement with St Mary's is my way of deepening a sense of connection with the place I've been living in now for 29 years. I looked after this website as assistant from its beginning in 2009 and subsequently as administrator from c.2012. The years of Covid when everything switched to online communication made life very difficult for us all, including this Web Sec who, as a self-taught “techie”, struggled at times to manage the site competently all on his own. Both to raise standards and to relieve me of my workload, in early 2022 (see Newsletter 3rd April, p.3) a new website designed by https://getonline.ie/ was published -- https://srbnparishes.ie/. The main focus of this new official site for the Pastoral Area will, of course, be the practice of the faith and the administration of the parishes(es). This old site will continue to be maintained by myself but with a new focus now, i.e. discussion and exploration of various aspects of the faith. So parish history, interesting readings, thought-provoking stories etc. -- all this will be the subject matter of this Site 2. The reader is very welcome to contribute to this discussion. (An example of a topic for discussion: On the basis of what has happened to you so far in your own life (or others that you know), what meaning can you give to this very striking statement of John Henry Newman (Par. 5): "You have led me on by ten thousand merciful providences"?)
I taught English (obligatory subject), French and Latin (elective subjects) in the seminary of St Patrick's College, Maynooth, from 1974 to 2013. (In the Irish Times, 1 November 2013, I looked back at the wonder of how I came to be there at all.) I can be contacted at donalpmcmahon@gmail.com
