Fr T.J. Linane, From Abel to Zundolovich, Vol. 2: Biographies of Priests on the Australian Scene up to 1900, 1980, pp 127-128:

D'Arcy, Thomas, CM (Left Order), Irish
President for Short Term at Sacred Heart College, Maitland
This is another story of a priest struggling with the dread disease of tuberculosis. He came from Rathvilly, County Carlow, and was educated at Mount Melleray with the Cistercians, and at All Hallows, Dublin. After Ordination in 1880 he came as a teacher to the Sacred Heart College, Maitland — an institution that has long since passed into the pages of history. He was on the teaching staff for several years and the 1890 Directory describes him as the College President. Later he was assigned to parish duties, working in turn at Dungog and Coonamble. In 1889 he returned to Ireland to join the Vincentians. Seemingly he was accepted and gave many missions and retreats in County Cork. It's claimed by Vincentian authorities that he left the Order. If this is so, he must have given the followers of St. Vincent de Paul some fifteen years of service. Returning to Australia about 1905 he joined the Lismore Diocese, in the vain hope that his T.B. condition would be arrested. It wasn't to be, for after a few years service as Pastor of Cowper he was compelled to seek medical attention and a long period of rest in Lewisham Hospital. A brief recovery ensued and he chose to wend his way to sunny outback Queensland, being given an appointment to Longreach. The stay was brief, perhaps a year, for he died on 25 April 1910, having given 30 years to the Lord's ministry. His grave must be one of the few in the Longreach Cemetery. A photo of the man appeared in the 'Catholic Weekly' (Syd.) on 21.7.1966.
(Footprints, Vol. 3, No. 6)
Information: The late Misses T. & D. Dwyer, Sydney. A. & S. D'arcy, Bellevue Hill, Sydney.

---

T.W. Campbell, The Priests of the Diocese of Armidale: A Necrology, Braddon ACT, 2005:
D'Arcy, Thomas

Listed in E J Doody, Acta et Statuta 1951, Appendix VI, Obituary List, in the section headed 'supplementary list of priests who have also worked in the diocese', but with no details other than the period he reputedly worked in the diocese, in this case 1880.
Thomas D'Arcy was a priest of the Maitland diocese who arrived in that diocese in 1880. There is no evidence he worked within the boundaries of the Armidale diocese, in any of its configurations. It is of course possible that he did spend some time in Tamworth or Gunnedah between the time of his arrival in May 1880 and the start of the 1881 academic year.
Born at Rathvilly, Co Carlow, date unknown. Educated at Mount Melleray and All Hallows, he was ordained in Dublin in 1880, exact date unknown. He came to Maitland after ordination, arriving in Melbourne on his way to Sydney on 5 May 1880 on Aconcagua from London. In 1881 he was a teacher at Sacred Heart College, West Maitland. He then worked at Dungog, and was then appointed to the charge of the Coonamble mission. He returned to Ireland about 1889 to join the Vincentians (the Congregation of the Mission). After admission to the Vincentians he gave many missions and retreats in Ireland. He then left the Vincentians and returned to parish life. He came back to Australia to the Lismore diocese, and was appointed to Cowper. He took ill, spent months in Lewisham hospital, then went to Longreach for a better climate. He died at Longreach on 25 April 1910. He is buried in Barcaldine cemetery.
(Sources: Doody, Advocate 10 Apr 1880 p 4, 30 Dec 1893 p 10, 18 Apr 1896 p 8, Kelly, Campbell, MDHC A-Z D18).

(Reproduced by permission of Tom Campbell.)

---

Denis M. Long, Pioneer and Early Priests, Archdiocese of Brisbane, Deceased or retired by 1929, 2021, p 133:
Father Thomas D'Arcy, CM

Fr D'arcy is listed on the memorial prayer card which inspired me to research and write about those priests. He spent about one year at Longreach in the Rockhampton diocese. He must have been known to some of the Brisbane clergy, especially Archbishop Duhig who was still bishop of Rockhampton when Fr D'Arcy died in 1910.

Fr Linane gives us a glimpse of this faithful priest in Abel to Zundolovich, his stories of early priests. Fr Linane received many facts of Fr D'Arcy's life from his relatives; namely the Misses T & D Dwyer of Sydney and A & S D'arcy of Bellevue Hills in Sydney:

This is another story of a priest struggling with the dread disease of tuberculosis. He came from Rathvilly, county Carlow, and was educated at Mount Melleray with the Cistercians, and at All Hallows, Dublin. After ordination in 1880, he came as a teacher to the Sacred Heart College, Maitland – an institution that has long since passed into the pages of history. He was on the teaching staff for several years and the 1890 Directory describes him as the College President. Later he was assigned to parish duties, working in turn at Dungog and Coonamble. In 1889 he returned to Ireland to join the Vincentians. Seemingly he was accepted and gave many missions and retreats in County Cork. It's claimed by Vincentian authorities that he left the Order. If this is so, he must have given the followers of St Vincent de Paul, some fifteen years of service. Returning to Australia about 1905 he joined the Lismore Diocese, in the vain hope that his TB condition would be arrested. It wasn't to be, for after a few years' service as Pastor of Cowper he was compelled to seek medical attention and a long period of rest in Lewisham Hospital. A brief recovery ensued and he chose to wend his way to sunny outback Queensland, being given an appointment to Longreach. The stay was brief, perhaps a year, for he died on 25 April 1910, having given 30 years to the Lord's ministry. His grave must be one of the few [of religious] in the Longreach Cemetery.(1)

An obituary in the Sydney Catholic press in May 1910 clarifies the reminiscences of his relatives. It states that Fr D'arcy was ordained from Clonliffe College in Dublin. This is most likely the truth as Thomas Darcy's name does not appear in among the list of students attending All Hallows prior to 1891.(2)

In the early part of 1905 he returned to Australia to take up work for his Order. After some time his health failed, and he no longer could continue on the arduous work of the missioner, so went to the diocese of Lismore to work as a secular priest, and her he laboured till a month ago.

He was attracted to Lismore as three of his sisters, who were Sisters of the Presentation Order, had come to work in the Lismore diocese. In addition to this, the widow of his eldest brother and their family were residents in Lismore.(3)

Fr Linane adds to his article that a photo of the man appeared in the Sydney Catholic Weekly on 21 July 1966.(4)

Footnotes
1. MDHC, Footprints, October 1978, Vol. 3 No 6, p. 31.
2. Kevin Condon cm, The Missionary College of All Hallows 1842-1891.
3. Catholic Press, Sydney, 5 May 1910, p. 29.
4. MDHC, op. cit.

Reproduced by permission of Fr Denis Long.