Michael is from Limerick and was actually born (in 1962) within 100 meters of the Redemptorist Monastery (Mount St. Alphonsus) in the city. He went to primary school in the nearby Model School and went to the Redemptorist St. Clement's College for his secondary schooling. He also had a family link with the Congregation: his father's first cousin was a Redemptorist in the Baltimore Province (USA). Michael's parents still live in Limerick. His sister Sandra lives in Dublin.
After his Leaving Cert in 1979, Michael went to study Medicine in UCC. After three years "as one of the most unsuccessful medical students in the history of medicine" (to quote himself), Michael joined the Redemptorists. He studied in Galway and Dublin and did his Novitiate in Dundalk. During his time in formation, Michael also spent two years as a student in Brazil before he was ordained in 1991. His first assignment was to Clonard Monastery in Belfast where he worked with the Clonard mission team giving missions mostly in the North of Ireland. He was also quite involved in youth ministry at that time.
In 1995, Michael was sent back to the books and studied Systematic (Dogmatic) Theology in Rome for two years. On his return home in 1997, Michael was appointed to the community in Scala (Cork) where he worked mostly in the area of youth ministry for five years, before moving to Belfast in 2002 where he worked as Director of St. Clement's Retreat Centre until its closure in 2006.
In January 2008, Michael was elected Provincial of the Dublin Province of Redemptorists (all of Ireland). He officially began this challenging ministry in May 2008 and resides in Marianella, Dublin.
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