Before 1781 Mountbolus was served by priests from the convent (monastery) at Cully. In 1780, Fr. Caffrey, a Cully Friar was Parish Priest and he was the last Friar to be in charge of Killoughey. When he died the following year, there were no longer any Friars in Cully convent and hence he was succeeded by a Meath diocesan priest Fr. Henry Doherty, who, on the death (1784) of Fr. Wilson, Parish Priest Ballyboy, became Parish Priest of both Ballyboy and Killoughey and from that date the two parishes have been united. In 1786, Bishop Plunkett made an attempt to revive the convent in Cully but without success.
During the period c. 1700-1781 four parish priests are known to have served in the parishes of Killoughey and Ballyboy. They were:
Rev. Brian Connor.
Rev. Loughlinynam. Rev. Robert Wilson. (Olive Curran’s history
of the Diocese of Meath dates his death c.1781. Fr. Shaw’s
history dates his death as 1784).Rev. Caffrey O.F.M. (Fr. Shaw’s
history dates his death as 1781).
In 1784 the parishes of Killoughey and Ballyboy were united. Fr. Henry Doherty was appointed to serve as priest in Killoughey in 1781 as Parish Priest of the united parishes of Ballyboy and Killoughey in 1784.
Since that time the Parish Priest has been resident at Kilcormac.
Parish Priests (Pastors) since 1781
Curates (Associate Pastors) resident at Kilcormac
Curates (Associate Pastors) resident at Mount Bolus