Reverend Dominic A. McGrattan, S.T.L.
2025 Clerical Speaker
Father Dominic A. McGrattan, from Portaferry, County Down, is the youngest of seven children born to Bernard and Kitty McGrattan. His birthplace holds historical significance as the place where St. Patrick first landed to begin his mission to Ireland. Fr. Dominic initially pursued a law degree at Trinity College Dublin and a master’s in commercial law at St. Edmund’s College Cambridge representing Ireland in law competitions at the International Court of Justice
in The Hague and Harvard Law School.
After securing a training contract with Slaughter and May, he felt a strong call to priesthood and entered seminary for the Diocese of Down and Connor, which includes the City of Belfast.
His formation for priesthood took place in Rome, where he studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, while residing at the Pontifical Irish College,Rome. Following his ordination to the priesthood in 2014, he pursued postgraduate studies in theology at Cambridge, where he was awarded the John Coventry Prize for Theology. Fr. Dominic has served as a hospital chaplain and a curate in a busy city centre parish, where he co-founded the People’s Kitchen for those experiencing homelessness.
Fr. Dominic is currently Chaplain at Queen’s University Belfast, serving a student community of around 25,000, with over 40% identifying as Catholic or from Catholic backgrounds. With his many responsibilities, Fr. Dominic remains a committed guide to both the spiritual and academic lives of his students.