A Lost Tribe

Behind the high walls of a Dublin seminary, students for the priesthood gather around a television set to watch the opening of Vatican II. Seduced by the power emanating from Rome, these young men have abandoned their natural instincts to follow the Nazarene carpenter. But the seminary is choking their freedom. The spirited Mac is expelled for a tryst. Others too pack their bags. After ordination, the leave-takings continue. It becomes clear that the Irish Church is reluctant to adapt to a rapidly changing world. Later, the same Church will be rocked by sexual scandals. 'A Lost Tribe' is a poignant story of the rise and fall of the Irish priest, from being God's representative on earth to becoming a member of an endangered species.

William King was born in Kilflynn, County Kerry, in 1945. He studied at University College Dublin and Holy Cross College, Clonliffe, and is parish priest at The Church of Mary Immaculate, Refuge of Sinners in Rathmines. He is author of 'The Strangled Impulse' (1997, 2014), 'Leaving Ardglass' (2008) and 'Is That All There Is?'(2013).