The Rector Who Wouldn't Pray for Rain

In his frank and outspoken memoir, former Church of Ireland clergyman Patrick Semple examines his childhood awareness of religion and how the Catholic Church was perceived by the minority community of the Church of Ireland. In his varied career he moved from small country parishes to chaplaincies in three hospitals and Mountjoy Prison and he describes the diverse cast of characters he met along the way with incisive humour and compassion.
Semple discusses with refreshing honesty why he no longer believes the essential doctrines of the Christian faith and how his personal spirituality has evolved.

Patrick Semple was born in Wexford and was ordained by the Church of Ireland in 1967. He went on to serve in Belfast, Co Laois and Co Wicklow before moving to Dublin, where he served as chaplain at Mountjoy Prison, the Mater and Temple Street hospitals. He was also involved in The Adult Education Department of the Church of Ireland. He retired from the church in 1999 and now dedicates his time to writing. His first volume of memoir, Believe It or Not was published in 2002. He has contributed to a number of literary journals and has also published short stories and some of these have been broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 and Lyric FM. His first collection of poetry The Rectory Dog was published in 2006.