Fr. Aidan Troy is an Irish Catholic priest who has served in Rome, Ardoyne in Northern Ireland, and Paris. [1] He is a member of the Passionist order. [2]
He was born in Bray, County Wicklow in 1946. [3] His father worked on the railways and his mother looked after him, his brother and sister. [3]
He graduated from University College Dublin with a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy in 1967 and from Clonliffe College with a bachelor of divinity degree in 1971. [3]
He was ordained around Christmas 1971. [2]
He was posted from Rome to the Ardoyne area of Belfast, where he became parish priest. [1] He also became head of the board of governors of Holy Cross Primary school, a Catholic school in a Protestant area. [1]
In June 2001 Loyalist protestors began picketing the school, claiming that Catholics were regularly attacking their homes. [1] The harassment escalated from sectarian taunting to stones, bricks, fireworks and blast bombs after the school holidays. [1] He walked with the parents and children daily for three months. [1]
During this time he received a series of death threats. [1] On one occasion police offered to escort him to the border with the Republic of Ireland as there had been a threat to kill him that weekend. [1] He turned down that offer as well as an offer of the use of an apartment in Belfast owned by the Irish government. [1]
In April 2003 a 17 year old took their own life in Holy Cross and the experience he had dealing with the deceased's family led him to publish a book, Out Of The Shadow: Responding To Suicide in 2009. [3]
In 2008 he was posted to a parish in Paris. He was reluctant to leave, but he obeyed his superiors. [2]
He used to relax by playing golf but started cycling in Paris. [3] He is also a fan of Accrington Stanley F.C. [3]
He suggested in 2014 that the French practice of separating religious and secular education is something that might be explored in Ireland. [1]
Fr. Aidan Troy is an Irish Catholic priest who has served in Rome, Ardoyne in Northern Ireland, and Paris. [1] He is a member of the Passionist order. [2]
He was born in Bray, County Wicklow in 1946. [3] His father worked on the railways and his mother looked after him, his brother and sister. [3]
He graduated from University College Dublin with a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy in 1967 and from Clonliffe College with a bachelor of divinity degree in 1971. [3]
He was ordained around Christmas 1971. [2]
He was posted from Rome to the Ardoyne area of Belfast, where he became parish priest. [1] He also became head of the board of governors of Holy Cross Primary school, a Catholic school in a Protestant area. [1]
In June 2001 Loyalist protestors began picketing the school, claiming that Catholics were regularly attacking their homes. [1] The harassment escalated from sectarian taunting to stones, bricks, fireworks and blast bombs after the school holidays. [1] He walked with the parents and children daily for three months. [1]
During this time he received a series of death threats. [1] On one occasion police offered to escort him to the border with the Republic of Ireland as there had been a threat to kill him that weekend. [1] He turned down that offer as well as an offer of the use of an apartment in Belfast owned by the Irish government. [1]
In April 2003 a 17 year old took their own life in Holy Cross and the experience he had dealing with the deceased's family led him to publish a book, Out Of The Shadow: Responding To Suicide in 2009. [3]
In 2008 he was posted to a parish in Paris. He was reluctant to leave, but he obeyed his superiors. [2]
He used to relax by playing golf but started cycling in Paris. [3] He is also a fan of Accrington Stanley F.C. [3]
He suggested in 2014 that the French practice of separating religious and secular education is something that might be explored in Ireland. [1]