Thomás Bairéad, Bishop of Annaghdown

Bishop of Annaghdown

The Bishop of Annaghdown is an episcopal title which takes its name after the small village of Annaghdown in County Galway, Ireland....

, died c. 1485.

Bairéad obtained a papal provision

Provision

Provision may refer to:* Provision , an industrial dance / synthpop band from Houston, Texas, USA* Provision , a term for liability in accounting* Provision , a term for a procurement condition...

 to the see of Annaghdown

Annaghdown

Annaghdown is a parish in County Galway, Ireland. It takes its name from Eanach Dhúin, Irish for "the marsh of the fort". The village lies around Annaghdown Bay, an inlet of Lough Corrib...

 on 17 April 1458 despite the see been already occupied by Donatus Ó Muireadhaigh, who had held office as both Archbishop of Tuam

Archbishop of Tuam

The Archbishop of Tuam is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Roman Catholic Church.-History:...

 and bishop of Annaghdown since 1450.

Despite crown support, Bairéad failed to gain local support, forcing him to retire to England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, where he acted as suffragan in Exeter

Exeter

Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...

 (1468–75) and Bath and Wells (1482–85).

In autumn 1484 he was sent by King Richard III

Richard III of England

Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...

 on a diplomatic mission to Ireland, carrying instructions to the deputy lieutenant, Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare

Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare

Gerald Mór FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, KG , known variously as "Garret the Great" or "The Great Earl" , was Ireland's premier peer...

, concerning negotiations with Conn mac Enri Ó Néill, lord of Tír Eógain from 1483 to 8 January 1493. The instructions pertained to the king's control of his titular earldom of Ulster

Ulster

Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

. The primary focus of his mission was to travel among the Anglo-Irish

Anglo-Irish

Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...

 of Leinster

Leinster

Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...

, Munster

Munster

Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...

 and Connacht

Connacht

Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...

 dispensing gifts and gathering intelligence on the state of the lordship. His attempt to reconcile Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Desmond (d. 1520) with the king failed, but his overall mission was judged a success.

Bairéad died sometime after February 1485.