Conor O'Devany
Encyclopedia
Conchobhar O'Duibheannaigh, aka The Blessed Conor O'Devany (or Concobhar Ó Duibheannaigh in Irish
; c. 1532 – February 1 (O.S.
)/February 11 (N.S.
), 1612, in Dublin) was an Irish Catholic
bishop, being the Lord Bishop of Down and Connor
. He was a Franciscan
of Donegal Abbey in Donegal Town and, while in Rome
in 1582, was appointed Eighth Bishop of Down and Connor by Pope Gregory XIII
, and consecrated on February 2, 1583. Upon becoming a bishop he was, henceforth, styled His Lordship The Most Rev. Dr. Conor Ó Duibheannaigh, Lord Bishop of Down and Connor. His surname, in English
, can also be spelled O'Devaney.
. Failing to convict him of any crime punishable with death, Lord Deputy William Fitzwilliam
sought authority from William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
to "be rid of such an obstinate enemy of God and so rank a traitor to Her Majesty as no doubt he is".
He lay in prison until November, 1590, being then released ostensibly on his own petition but doubtless through policy. He was protected by Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone
until 1607 (see the Flight of the Earls
, and escaped arrest until the middle of 1611, when, almost eighty years old, he was taken while administering Confirmation and again committed to Dublin Castle.
On January 28, 1612, Ó Duibheannaigh was tried for high treason, found guilty by the majority of a packed jury, and sentenced to die on 1 February (Julian Calendar
). He was drawn on a cart from the Castle to the gallows beyond the river; the whole route was crowded with Catholics. Protestant clergymen pestered him with ministrations and urged him to confess he died for treason. "Pray let me be", he answered, "the viceroy's messenger to me here present, could tell that I might have life and revenue for going once to that temple", pointing to a tower opposite. He kissed the gallows before mounting, and then proceeding to exhort the Catholics to constancy, he was thrown off, cut down alive, and quartered.
With him suffered Patrick O'Loughran
, a priest arrested at Cork. The people, despite the guards, carried off the halter, his clothes, and even fragments of his body and chips of the gallows. They prayed all night by the remains, an infirm man was reported cured by touching them, and Mass after Mass was said there from Midnight until day. Such was the concourse that the viceroy ordered the members to be buried on the spot, but next night the Catholics exhumed them and interred them in St. James's Churchyard.
A list of martyrs compiled O'Devany was used by Rothe in his "Analecta".
He also was pardonded of death but then said he would accept it for the church
in Rome. The Feast Day of the Irish Martyrs is celebrated on June 20.
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
; c. 1532 – February 1 (O.S.
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
)/February 11 (N.S.
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
), 1612, in Dublin) was an Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
bishop, being the Lord Bishop of Down and Connor
Bishop of Down and Connor
The Bishop of Down and Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Downpatrick and the village of Connor in Northern Ireland...
. He was a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
of Donegal Abbey in Donegal Town and, while in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1582, was appointed Eighth Bishop of Down and Connor by Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII , born Ugo Boncompagni, was Pope from 1572 to 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake for the Gregorian calendar, which remains the internationally-accepted civil calendar to this date.-Youth:He was born the son of Cristoforo Boncompagni and wife Angela...
, and consecrated on February 2, 1583. Upon becoming a bishop he was, henceforth, styled His Lordship The Most Rev. Dr. Conor Ó Duibheannaigh, Lord Bishop of Down and Connor. His surname, in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, can also be spelled O'Devaney.
Execution and martyrdom
In 1588 Ó Duibheannaigh was committed to Dublin CastleDublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
. Failing to convict him of any crime punishable with death, Lord Deputy William Fitzwilliam
William Fitzwilliam (Lord Deputy)
- Early life :FitzWilliam was born at Milton, Northamptonshire, the eldest son of Sir William and grandson of William Fitzwilliam , alderman and sheriff of London, who had been treasurer and chamberlain to Cardinal Wolsey and who purchased Milton in 1506...
sought authority from William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
to "be rid of such an obstinate enemy of God and so rank a traitor to Her Majesty as no doubt he is".
He lay in prison until November, 1590, being then released ostensibly on his own petition but doubtless through policy. He was protected by Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone
Earl of Tyrone
The Earl of Tyrone is a title created three times in the Peerage of Ireland.It was first created as part of the Tudor attempt to establish a uniform social structure in Ireland by converting the Gaelic kings and chiefs into hereditary nobles of the Kingdom of Ireland...
until 1607 (see the Flight of the Earls
Flight of the Earls
The Flight of the Earls took place on 14 September 1607, when Hugh Ó Neill of Tír Eóghain, Rory Ó Donnell of Tír Chonaill and about ninety followers left Ireland for mainland Europe.-Background to the exile:...
, and escaped arrest until the middle of 1611, when, almost eighty years old, he was taken while administering Confirmation and again committed to Dublin Castle.
On January 28, 1612, Ó Duibheannaigh was tried for high treason, found guilty by the majority of a packed jury, and sentenced to die on 1 February (Julian Calendar
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
). He was drawn on a cart from the Castle to the gallows beyond the river; the whole route was crowded with Catholics. Protestant clergymen pestered him with ministrations and urged him to confess he died for treason. "Pray let me be", he answered, "the viceroy's messenger to me here present, could tell that I might have life and revenue for going once to that temple", pointing to a tower opposite. He kissed the gallows before mounting, and then proceeding to exhort the Catholics to constancy, he was thrown off, cut down alive, and quartered.
With him suffered Patrick O'Loughran
Patrick O'Loughran
Patrick O'Loughran was a priest of the archdiocese of Armagh and an Irish Catholic Martyr....
, a priest arrested at Cork. The people, despite the guards, carried off the halter, his clothes, and even fragments of his body and chips of the gallows. They prayed all night by the remains, an infirm man was reported cured by touching them, and Mass after Mass was said there from Midnight until day. Such was the concourse that the viceroy ordered the members to be buried on the spot, but next night the Catholics exhumed them and interred them in St. James's Churchyard.
A list of martyrs compiled O'Devany was used by Rothe in his "Analecta".
He also was pardonded of death but then said he would accept it for the church
Beatification
On September 27 1992, Ó Duibheannaigh, with sixteen others, the Irish Catholic Martyrs, was beatified by Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
in Rome. The Feast Day of the Irish Martyrs is celebrated on June 20.