Hugh O'Reilly (Archbishop of Armagh)
| Styles of Hugh O'Reilly | |
|---|---|
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| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Grace or Archbishop |
Hugh O'Reilly (Irish: Aodh Ó Raghallaigh; 1580–1653)[1] was an Irish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Kilmore from 1625 to 1628 and Archbishop of Armagh from 1628 to 1653.
He was the son of Honora and Mulmore O'Reilly, who was the grandson of the chief of the O'Reilly clan, Fearghal macSeaán, who ruled East Breifne from 1526–1534. Hugh O'Reilly's genealogy is Aodh son of Maol Mórdha son of Aodh son of Fearghal son of Seaán son of Cathal son of Eóghan na Fésóige.[2] Mulmore O'Reilly had four sons by his wife Honora- Émonn, Hugh O'Reilly (Archbishop of Armagh), Fearghal and Domhnall. He also had an illegitimate son, Cathaoir. In the Plantation of Ulster by grant dated 29 April 1611, King James VI and I granted the town and lands of Gortatowill containing 6 polls, comprising a total of 300 acres at an annual rent of £3-4s., to Mulmore McHugh McFarrall O'Rely, gent.[3] Gortatowill now comprises the townlands of Prospect and Tawnagh in Corlough parish. Mulmore died sometime between 1611 and 1637.[4] Hugh O'Reilly was thus eligible for election to the chieftainship under the system of deirbhfhine.[4]
Career
Hugh O'Reilly was born in Cavan town and was educated there by the local Franciscan Order. He was ordained a priest in 1618 and pursued further studies in Rouen College. He was appointed Bishop of Kilmore on 9 June 1625,[5][6][7] and consecrated at St Peter's Church, Drogheda by Archbishop Thomas Fleming of Dublin in July 1625.[6][8] Three years later, he was translated to the Metropolitan see of Armagh as archbishop and primate by three consistorial acts: dated 5 May, 31 July, and 31 August 1628.[9]
O'Reilly in perhaps most famous for calling a synod of bishops at Kells, County Meath in March 1642 to discuss the ongoing Irish Rebellion of 1641. The synod called for an end to the killing of unarmed civilians and robberies, and most considered that the aims of the conflict in support of Catholic rights and King Charles amounted to a just war.[10] A smaller group of clergy met with the Catholic nobility at Kilkenny from May 1642, resulting in the founding of the Irish Confederacy later that year, which O'Reilly supported for the rest of his life.
He died in office in February 1653, aged 72, and was buried on Trinity Island in Lough Oughter, the southern part of the Lough Erne complex.[5][11]
References
- ↑ page 405
- ↑ A Genealogical History of the O’Reillys by Eoghan O’Raghallaigh, Section 18, p. 89
- ↑
- 1 2 Bernadette Cunningham, 'O'Reilly, Hugh (c.1581–1653)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 16 March 2008 Hugh O'Reilly (c.1581–1653): doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/20822.
- 1 2 "Archbishop Hugh O'Reilly". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- 1 2 Brady 1876, The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 1, p. 282.
- ↑ Fryde et al. 1986, Handbook of British Chronology, p. 436.
- ↑ Fryde et al. 1986, Handbook of British Chronology, p. 415.
- ↑ Brady 1876, The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 1, p. 224.
- ↑ http://www.catholicity.com/encyclopedia/o/o'reilly,hugh.html
- ↑ Brady 1876, The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 1, p. 226.
Bibliography
- Brady, W. Maziere (1876). The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, A.D. 1400 to 1875. Volume 1. Rome: Tipografia Della Pace.
- Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I., eds. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd, reprinted 2003 ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richard Brady |
Bishop of Kilmore 1625–1628 |
Succeeded by Eugene Sweeney |
| Vacant Title last held by Hugh McCaughwell |
Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland 1628–1653 |
Vacant Title next held by Edmund O'Reilly |