Father Timothy McCarthy
Father Timothy McCarthy was born in Ireland in 1829 at Ballinhassig. After he completed his schooling he went on to study law for three years but later transferred to study Theology and Philosophy at St. Patrick's College, Carlow in his preparation for the priesthood. He was ordained in 1852 and was persuaded by an Australian priest visiting Ireland to relocate to Australia. After a few months in Sydney he moved to Armidale in September 1853. This young man at the time was a very fine horseman and was very involved and trusted when it came to Pastoral Care. He then became the fist priest of New South Wales and the North Coast. Over time he had visited places such as Glen Innes, Nundle and the surrounding places of Tamworth. He was provided by the Government a small salary. With this he built himself a house nearby the old weatherboard chapel on the site of O'Connor High School. The Catholic congregation in Tamworth had been asking for its own resident priest, but this was not to be until 1864, after Father Tim had been transferred. However he did his best and what ever he could. In 1859, he organised the building of the first St. Nicholas' church in Tamworth. He had previously helped in establishing a small chapel in Walcha in 1854 and the first church in Grafton in 1857. Father McCarthy built a school in Armidale in 1861 and also funded the Armadale Reading Society. After some years he went to Sydney and in 1874 was made Dean of St. Mary Cathedral. Over any more years he toured the cities and the country raising funds but over this task, though successful in many ways, proved to be too much for him and was forced into retirement in 1878. He died after his return to his native Ireland, two weeks after being diagnosed with "congestion of the liver" on 25 August 1879, aged 50.
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