More local parishes to be 'clustered' due to priests retiring next year

A number of parishes in a Shannonside diocese will be clustered next year due to the retirement of long-serving priests.

This relates to the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, which includes Athlone, Ballymahon, Carrick-on-Shannon and Longford.

There has been a lack of vocations over the past decade.

Bishop Paul Connell says a lot of the existing priests are ageing:

Bishop Connell says some parishes in the diocese have already been clustered: