Now the Reverend Joe Kennedy leaves his parish in Croom every Sunday morning to say Mass in tiny Banogue, which was devastated at first by the loss of a full-time priest.
"Parishes will fall into decay if they wait for priests to take charge now," Kennedy said.
The clustering device relies heavily on involving lay people, and at least in Banogue, the crisis has drawn them into action. Routine administrative and housekeeping tasks are now handled by parishioners.
As for importing priests to a land once known for exporting them, the Irish Catholic Church has not been considering that an option, at least not now, mostly because that does little to solve the problem of flagging faith and church attendance in the country.
"Ireland needs to be re-evangelized," said Madigan, "but among its own people."
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