Rev Richard Farrelly
Title:
Rev
First Name:
Richard
Middle Names:
Preferred Name:
Surname:
Farrelly
Order:
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Maperath, Kells, Co Meath
Country of Birth:
Ireland
Date of Ordination:
Place of Ordination:
St Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny
Country of Ordination:
Ireland
Ordination Diocese:
Adelaide
Seminary:
Date of Death:
Place of Death:
Adelaide SA
Country of Death:
Australia
Date of Burial:
Place of Burial:
Centennial Park, Adelaide SA
Country of Burial:
Australia
Find A Grave URL:
Appointments Table
Diocese | Place | Role | Start Day | Start Month | Start Year | End Day | End Month | End Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | Mount Gambier | Assistant Priest | 6 | Jun | 1920 | Adelaide, Biographies of deceased clergy | |||
| Adelaide | Thebarton | Adelaide, Biographies of deceased clergy | |||||||
| Adelaide | Millicent | Parish Priest | Adelaide, Biographies of deceased clergy | ||||||
| Adelaide | Hamley Bridge | Parish Priest | 1 | Feb | 1934 | Adelaide, Biographies of deceased clergy | |||
| Adelaide | Clonel Light Gardens | Parish Priest | Nov | 1950 | Nov | 1955 | Adelaide, Biographies of deceased clergy; Gravestone |
Biographical Notes
Archdiocese of Adelaide, Biographies of deceased clergy, coordinated by Monsignor John Swann, available from https://adelaide.catholic.org.au/our-people/biographies-of-deceased-clergy, accessed on 6 November 2025:
Fr Richard Farrelly
Biography:
Early Life
Richard Farrelly was born in Maperath, Kells, Co. Meath, Ireland. He was educated and undertook his studies for the priesthood at St Kieran’s College in Kilkenny. He was ordained priest in St Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny on June 16, 1919.
Life in Australia
Fr Farrelly came to Adelaide the following year, arriving on May 10. On June 6, he was appointed Assistant Priest at Mount Gambier. Later he moved to Thebarton parish, but while there he was afflicted with a very serious illness of meningitis. He did recover but the illness had a permanent affect on his wellbeing.
Nevertheless he was appointed Parish Priest of Millicent. Then on February 1, 1934 he went to Hamley Bridge as Parish Priest.
Continuing ill-health
While at Hamley Bridge he suffered a serious heart attack, once more spending several months in Calvary Hospital where he was cared for by the good Sisters. After he recovered, in November 1950 he took up the position of Parish Priest of Colonel Light Gardens.
However, being uprooted from Hamley Bridge where he had been for many years to take charge of a large city parish at his time of life and with the history of his health had a greater strain on him than he had expected. But the people of Colonel Light Gardens were very supportive and had ‘taken them to their hearts’.
Fr Farrelly died in Calvary Hospital on November 25, 1955. While he had been in ill health for some time, his death came rather suddenly and unexpectedly.
Solemn Requiem Mass was celebrated in St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral. Archbishop Beovich presided and the celebrant was Fr E O’Connell Parish Priest of Parkside.
Paying tribute to Fr Farrelly and his life the Archbishop said: “We grieve at the death of a kindly and generous priest. He had shown his generosity in youth by answering the call to become a priest and leaving his beloved country to work in a far distant land. Fr Farrelly was zealous in his work for souls, hospitable to his fellow priests and kind to all with whom he had any dealings.”
(There is no record of his burial.)
May he rest in peace.
Reproduced by permission of Monsignor John Swann and the Archdiocese of Adelaide.