Fr Denis W. Martin, Priests of 1928, Brisbane, 2003, pp 184-185:
Robert O'Donoghue, BA

Although he seemed to be endowed with perpetual youth, Robert O'Donoghue died at only 56 years of age.

Robert Patrick O'Donoghue came from Galway where he attended St Mary's College before going across to All Hallows College where he was ordained in June 1922. He had also attended the National University in Dublin to earn his BA.

His only appointment outside the city of Brisbane was the six years at Toowoomba, 1923-1929. The city appointments were Chaplain at Nudgee College in 1930, a few months each at the General Hospital and St Patrick's in the Valley, 1931 at Rosalie, then the last 20 years as Parish Priest at Enoggera, 1932-1952.

When he arrived at the end of 1932, Enoggera was a very divided parish. Prior to his arrival, the Administrator since 1929, Fr Bossence, had refused to move and had taken over the presbytery. Many parishioners took his side and were sending money for his support. The Archbishop called in the police to superintend the delivery of collection money to the new Parish Priest, for Jack Dowling had already been appointed there for a short time - although long enough to build a new brick presbytery. Truth and Smith's Weekly made much of the scandal. Fr Bossence had friends in high places and all the details of the affair went not only through the Apostolic Delegate to Rome but through the Supreme Court in Brisbane.

In a nutshell, 'things eventually righted themselves', but Fr O'Donoghue must have been the right man for the job. He was a good friend to all and had the wisdom to remain neutral. In difficult times he was noted for his kindness and charity to those in adversity and for his care of the sick. He was remembered too for his ability to join in games with the local school children and for his enthusiastic interest in school and parish functions. This is why the Archbishop said, 'he seemed to be endowed with perpetual youth'.

In 1952, Fr O'Donoghue went home for a holiday in Ireland. He was saying his goodbyes to return when he died suddenly of a heart attack, on 19th July. He was buried in the churchyard of his home parish and within sight of his birthplace - St Kilian's in Ballamana. The Enoggera parishioners then took up a collection to pay for the tombstone.

Note 1: Fr Ignatius Bossence had been ordained an MSC overseas in 1912, was a Chaplain in World War I, then came to Australia and worked in the Wagga Diocese. He was not popular, and while Archbishop Duhig gave him the parish of Enoggera he never had the status of Parish Priest. He inherited £100,000 when one parishioner died but Archbishop Duhig contested it as a diocesan bequest - and lost. Bossence wandered South, then returned to live on the Gold Coast for several years. He held the Archdiocese to ransom for years so that even the bills for his housekeeper's stockings were arriving at Wynberg. Archbishop O'Donnell and solicitor J P Kelly then put a stop to it all. At this time he was living at Rose Bay in Sydney until at 83 he died in a nearby nursing home on 21st December 1969. His estate was valued at over $650,000! It was left to the Diocese of Canberra-Goulburn for the construction of the Canberra National War Memorial Catholic Cathedral which was never to be.

Another MSC, William Cuneo learned Bossence's modus operandi and in the 1960s he too had to be threatened by J P Kelly.

Note 2: Another Fr O'Donoghue in Brisbane was Fr Geoffrey Raymond O'Donoghue DD. He was Brisbane born [1907] and ordained in Rome in 1931. Ray, as he was known, was for a time Archbishop Duhig's secretary, Rector of St Leo's University College and on the staff of Banyo Seminary. In 1946 he went as Parish Priest to Wavell Heights where he died suddenly on 22nd September 1953. He was buried at Nudgee Cemetery, not in the priests' section but in the O'Donoghue family plot.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr Denis Martin.)

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Prayer Calendar: Deceased Priests who have ministered the Catholic Faith throughout Toowoomba and districts, 1864–2025, Compiled by Annie Carrett, Diocesan Archivist, 2001, Updated by Gabrielle Saide, Diocesan Archivist, 2023:
Rev Robert Patrick O'Donoghue, died 19 July 1952

Robert Patrick O'Donoghue was born in Galway , Ireland, "a few years before the turn of the Century". He was educated at St Mary's College before commencing seminary studies at All Hallows College, Dublin. While there he gained a Bachelor of Arts Degree at the National University, Dublin. He was ordained a Priest by the Bishop of Kerry, in Dublin, on 11th June, 1922. He arrived in Brisbane in November of that year and subsequently served in the following places: Assistant Priest, Holy Name (Mort Estate), Toowoomba (1923-1929); Fortitude Valley - including chaplaincies to Nudgee College and Brisbane General Hospital; Rosalie (?-1932); and Parish Priest Enoggera (1932-1951). He returned to Galway after 30 years in Brisbane Archdiocese in May of 1951. He died in Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, Co.Galway, Ireland in 1952 and is buried in the grounds of St Kilian's Church, Ballymana, Caughwell, Co.Galway, not far from where he was born.
(Ref. Brisbane Archives)

Reproduced by permission of Bishop Ken Howell.