Sean na Sagart
Encyclopedia
Seán na Sagart (c. 1690–1726) was a notorious priest hunter
during Penal Times
in Ireland
.
Born John Mullowney in Derrew, near Ballyheane, County Mayo
, he began his career as a horse thief but was arrested and sentenced to death in Castlebar
in his youth. When the Grand Jury became aware of his low character, they cut a deal with him in which he agreed to turn priest hunter to escape the hangman's noose. The 1709 Penal Act demanded that Catholic
priests take the Oath of Abjuration and recognise the Protestant Queen Anne
as Supreme Head of the Church of England and Ireland. Any cleric that refused was sentenced to death by the Anglican controlled judicial system.
Mullowney was a talented rogue and excelled at the activity of hunting clergy. He received £100 for the capture of an Archbishop or Bishop, £20 for a priest, and £10 for obtaining a hedge school
teacher; sizable amounts at the time. These men would then be executed if they refused to take the Act of Abjuration. Mullowney used the money to fund his heavy drinking and expensive tastes. One technique used by him was to pretend to be sick and close to death. He would then call for a priest to confess his numerous sins. When a priest would arrive, Mullowney would grab a knife hidden under the bedclothes, and attempt to capture or kill his confessor
.
Mullowney was a deeply unpopular individual, and hated by all. He was murdered by a man known only as McCann in a wood near Partry
and his body was thrown, post mortem, into a lake by local Catholics. The parish priest forced them to retrieve it, and his corpse was eventually buried in un-consecrated ground, near Ballintubber Abbey
, County Mayo. There is a tree with his name near the abbey, which never blossomed, and as of 2007, all its branches droop down.
Priest hunter
A priest hunter was a person who, acting on behalf of British forces, spied on or captured Catholic priests during Penal Times in seventeenth and eighteenth century Ireland....
during Penal Times
Penal Laws (Ireland)
The term Penal Laws in Ireland were a series of laws imposed under English and later British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour of members of the established Church of Ireland....
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Born John Mullowney in Derrew, near Ballyheane, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, he began his career as a horse thief but was arrested and sentenced to death in Castlebar
Castlebar
Castlebar is the county town of, and at the centre of, County Mayo in Ireland. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years...
in his youth. When the Grand Jury became aware of his low character, they cut a deal with him in which he agreed to turn priest hunter to escape the hangman's noose. The 1709 Penal Act demanded that Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
priests take the Oath of Abjuration and recognise the Protestant Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
as Supreme Head of the Church of England and Ireland. Any cleric that refused was sentenced to death by the Anglican controlled judicial system.
Mullowney was a talented rogue and excelled at the activity of hunting clergy. He received £100 for the capture of an Archbishop or Bishop, £20 for a priest, and £10 for obtaining a hedge school
Hedge school
A hedge school is the name given to an educational practice in 18th and 19th century Ireland, so called due to its rural nature. It came about as local educated men began an oral tradition of teaching the community...
teacher; sizable amounts at the time. These men would then be executed if they refused to take the Act of Abjuration. Mullowney used the money to fund his heavy drinking and expensive tastes. One technique used by him was to pretend to be sick and close to death. He would then call for a priest to confess his numerous sins. When a priest would arrive, Mullowney would grab a knife hidden under the bedclothes, and attempt to capture or kill his confessor
Confessor
-Confessor of the Faith:Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith, but not to the point of death. The term is still used in this way in the East. In Latin Christianity it has come to signify any saint, as well as those who have been declared...
.
Mullowney was a deeply unpopular individual, and hated by all. He was murdered by a man known only as McCann in a wood near Partry
Partry
Partry is a parish in County Mayo, Ireland. Partry is an ideal place for people with an interest in fishing to stay. It is located between Loughs Carra and Mask and is on the N84 between the towns of Castlebar and Ballinrobe....
and his body was thrown, post mortem, into a lake by local Catholics. The parish priest forced them to retrieve it, and his corpse was eventually buried in un-consecrated ground, near Ballintubber Abbey
Ballintubber Abbey
Ballintubber Abbey is a royal abbey in Co. Mayo, Ireland, founded by King Cathal Crobdearg Ua Conchobair in 1216. It is said to be the only church in Ireland founded by an Irish king that is still in regular use....
, County Mayo. There is a tree with his name near the abbey, which never blossomed, and as of 2007, all its branches droop down.
