He was born in Rathcroghan, County Roscommon, Ireland, the second youngest child of eleven: one brother also became a priest while three sisters joined the religious life.
An insight into this work was revealed in 2012 when he presided over, and preached, at the funeral of the matriarch of an important Irish Traveller family, Nan Ward.
In a statement, Why Marriage Matters,[9] released by the bishops, they described provisions in the Civil Partnership Bill as "an extraordinary and far-reaching attack on freedom of conscience and the free practices of religion – which are guaranteed to every citizen under the Constitution".
[10] On the refusal by Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern to allow an opt-out clause for people who had issues of conscience when it came to association or involvement with same-sex ceremonies, he said the bishops were "very worried about that.
In retirement Jones retained a relatively low profile in his former diocese although his July 2015 comments about the future economic prospects for the West of Ireland were widely reported.