Since their inception, the Columban Fathers had maintained their Irish seminary and headquarters, Dalgan Park, at Shrule, County Mayo, in western Ireland. Columban co-founder Father John Blowick had always wished to establish a Columban presence in or near the Irish capital of Dublin. Unfortunately, due to some political issues with the Catholic hierarchy of Dublin, the Columbans had been unable to do so.
By 1927, after a great deal of wrangling and discussions with the Archdiocese of Dublin, the Columbans purchased a picturesque property near the town of Navan in County Meath, northwest of Dublin.
Years would pass as the Columbans raised enough funds to start building a college and seminary in Navan.
In 1941, the new Dalgan Park in Navan opened its doors, and the first Columbans were ordained in Navan in December of that year.
Over the years, Dalgan Park, Navan has served as a seminary, retirement home, administrative base, library and archive, and many other functions for the Columbans in Ireland.
The offices of The Far East, the official mission magazine of the Columban missionaries in Ireland, and a Columban cemetery are currently located at Dalgan.
Throughout the years, the Columbans have developed the property, creating walking paths and establishing a farm there.
The lovely Dalgan Park campus, near the banks of the historic River Boyne, is open to the public and continues to serve as the “heart” of the Columban Fathers in Ireland.
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The Columbans are a society of missionaries, including priests and lay people, who minister to people of various cultures as a way of witnessing to the universal love of God.