Rev Richard Daly
Title:
Rev
First Name:
Richard
Middle Names:
Timothy
Preferred Name:
Surname:
Daly
Order:
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Barnawartha VIC
Country of Birth:
Australia
Date of Ordination:
Place of Ordination:
Country of Ordination:
Ordination Diocese:
Seminary:
Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide, Rome, Italy
Appointments Table
Diocese | Place | Role | Start Day | Start Month | Start Year | End Day | End Month | End Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canberra and Goulburn | Goulburn | Teacher, St Patrick's College | Linane Vol 2 | ||||||
| Canberra and Goulburn | Narrandera | 1897 | 1899 | Linane Vol 2 |
Biographical Notes
Dr. Daly Dead. A Brilliant Australian, Daily Advertiser, Wagga Wagga, 6 December 1930, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article142700282:
News of the death of the Rev. Richard Daly, D.D., will be learned with regret by many who knew the brilliant priest in the Wagga and Albury districts. Dr. Daly died on October 23 in Cork, Ireland. He was born at Barnawartha (V.), and for many years ministered in the Goulburn diocese. He afterwards went to Rome, and thence to London and Ireland. He was a priest of remarkable attainments in scholarship and learning. He spoke many languages, and was regarded as the most brilliant Australian scholar who passed through the Irish College in Rome. He was educated at St. Patrick's College at Goulburn, where he was a pupil of the late Dr. Gallagher (president). After returning from Rome, Dr. Daly ministered in the Goulburn diocese, during which time he paid a couple of visits to Wagga and Albury. The young men of Wagga who met Dr. Daly at that time carried through life the memory of a highly cultured man who was the possessor of a peculiarly charming personality. Dr. Daly held many important positions in Europe and in England and Ireland. He was for some time Professor in Irish at St. Finbarr's Seminary, principal at Ballingeary Irish College, and held the Chair of Russian in Cork University College for some time. The deceased was a fluent speaker of Irish and rendered many services in its promotion. Dr. Daly's demise will be sincerely regretted by clergy and people in many countries.
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Fr T.J. Linane, From Abel to Zundolovich, Vol. 2: Biographies of Priests on the Australian Scene up to 1900, 1980, pp 125-126:
Daly, Richard Timothy, Rt. Rev., D.D., D.Ph., Australian
Demonstrator in St. Peter's, Rome
It wouldn't be far from the mark to describe this subject as the most able linguist born on Australian soil. If his command of languages, especially Greek and Hebrew, was as profound as the teacher of Scripture, Hebrew, and Church History in Manly College, Dr. John Leonard ('Nabs' we called him), and who in turn had been taught by Daly in Ireland, then the assumption is correct. Unfortunately the vehicle of the intellect, locked in the cranium, isn't perfect in composition. Hence Daly had his odd moments, which asserted themselves from time to time. In fact he had many terms on sick leave. Hence it's not surprising to find this news item in the Albury 'Daily News' of 22.11.1910 about the boy from Barnawatha. "During Vespers at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome a disturbance was created by an Irish priest (sic!) named Daly. He was evidently mentally deranged and was removed from the building. Daly is a native of Barnawatha, Victoria, and studied at St. Patrick's College, Goulburn. He was sent by Bishop Lanigan of Goulburn to Propaganda College, Rome, and showed remarkable ability for learning and speaking languages. He learned these from other students with him at Propaganda. While attached to St. Patrick's (Goulburn) he developed a mental weakness of a very pronounced character. After his recovery he proceeded to Ireland and threw himself into the movement for the resuscitation of the Irish language. As a boy he was an employee of C.Reis & Co. of Albury".
There are gaps in the story yet to be filled: Date of Ordination (probably 1894); where he taught in Ireland — was it at one of the Seminaries? Certainly before the breakdown in 1910 he had given at least five years of service in the diocese of adoption; teaching at St. Patrick's College and doing parish duty at Narrandera from 1897 to 1899. The Directories from 1902 to 1911 describe his status as "absent on leave". In fact there is no further mention of him on duty in Goulburn Diocese, so presumably he was during the whole period to 1931 on teaching duty either in Ireland or Rome. A further note in the Albury 'Daily News' of 25.3.1911 tells of his preaching at Chiltern "a most eloquent sermon", adding that he was "recuperating from a severe nervous strain due to excessive work and study". The Messenger of the Sacred Heart (Melbourne) records his death in Eire in February 1931. A queer genius awaits his biographer.
(Footprints, Vol. 3, No. 6)
Information: As quoted and as researched by Rev. F. Mecham P.P., Lindfield, NSW.
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Catholic Parish of St Augustine, Yass, Priests who have served in the Parish of Yass, July 2018, https://staug-yass.org.au/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/priests_list.pdf, accessed on 24 December 2025: "Rev. Father R.T. Daly, 1897."