Provost of Tuam new Dean of St Patrick's

The new Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin is the Very Rev Robert MacCarthy (59), rector of St Nicholas' Collegiate Church in Galway and Provost of Tuam. He is expected to take up his new post in September, which he holds until he is 75.

After the election he acknowledged that he was known to be outspoken and that chapter members would have considered this. He felt his election was an indication of how they see the role of dean coming to the end of the century.

"The dean's position is always to be an independent voice in the church and in the community and in the State," he said, expressing a hope that he might be a prophet to all three. However he felt he would avoid the "savage indignation" of his predecessor, Jonathan Swift. "I don't think it is very productive," he said.

He succeeds the Very Rev Maurice Stewart, who retired last month. The election took place at St Patrick's yesterday afternoon. Only members of the cathedral chapter take part and eligible candidates must be from among chapter members. It is made up of 22 canons as well as the dean, precentor, chancellor, and treasurer.

Eleven of the canons are appointed by diocesan bishops, with eight appointed by the dean and the chapter. One is elected by the diocesan synod of Dublin and Glendalough, one is annexed to the Archbishopric of Dublin, and one is annexed to the office of the vicar of St Patrick's Cathedral Group.

Dean MacCarthy remarked that only the Dean of St Patrick's and the Pope continued to be chosen in this way.

From Co Tipperary, "near Clonmel", he was ordained in 1979 after a career in university administration at Reading in the UK, Queens in Belfast and as assistant secretary at TCD. His first curacy was in Carlow where he was from 1979 to 1981. Thereafter he served as librarian at Pusey House Oxford while a Fellow at St Cross College.

Later he was bishop's vicar in Kilkenny cathedral and then rector of Castlecomer before being appointed to St Nicholas' Collegiate Church, Galway and Provost of Tuam in 1995. He had been appointed a canon of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, in 1994.

Dean MacCarthy is author of The Estates of Trinity College 1800-1923 (1992) and Ancient and Modern: a short history of the Church of Ireland (1995), as well as being a contributor to historical and archaeological journals.