Edmund Ffrench, O.P. (1775–1852) was the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Warden of Galway The Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas is a medieval church building in Galway, Ireland. It is a collegiate church and the parish church of St. Nicholas Church of Ireland parish, which covers Galway city. It was founded in 1320 and dedicated to ...

and Bishop of Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora. Ffrench was a descendant of

The Tribes of Galway The Tribes of Galway ( ga, Treibheanna na Gaillimhe) were 14 merchant families who dominated the political, commercial and social life of the city of Galway in western Ireland between the mid-13th and late 19th centuries. They were the families ...

, though by the 18th century his family had become

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

. His father, Edmund, was

Mayor of Galway The office of Mayor of Galway is an honorific title used by the of Galway City Council. The council has jurisdiction throughout its administrative area of the city of Galway which is the largest city in the province of Connacht, in Ireland. The ...

and the town's Protestant Warden. In 1761 he, as Mayor, signed the notorious "manifesto of intolerance", known as ''The Black Petition''. Edmund and his brother, Charles, became Catholic while young, due to the influence of a Catholic servant girl. Charles would go on to become a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

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, building the Immaculate Conception Church in

Lawrence, MA Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and Nort ...

in 1846, the first Catholic church in the city.Corrigan, Michael. "Register of the Clergy Laboring in the Archdiocese of New York", ''Historical Records and Studies'', Vol. 2, United States Catholic Historical Society, 1901, p. 40
/ref> In 1794 Ffrench was accepted as a Dominican

postulant A postulant (from la, postulare, to ask) was originally one who makes a request or demand; hence, a candidate. The use of the term is now generally restricted to those asking for admission into a Christian monastery or a religious order for the p ...

in The

Claddagh Claddagh () is an area close to the centre of Galway city, where the River Corrib meets Galway Bay. It was formerly a fishing village, just outside the old city walls. It is just across the river from the Spanish Arch, which was the location of ...

priory of

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

. He took the habit at Esker monastery,

Athenry Athenry (; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies east of Galway city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall, Athenry Castle, its priory and its 13th century street-plan. The town is also well known by virtu ...

; his name in religion was Martin, but it was a name he never used. He studied in the Dominican, College of Corpo Santo,

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

where he was ordained in about 1804. From 1806 to 1810 he served at St. Michan's, Dublin. He was the last

, elected despite been ineligible as a member of a religious order. His term was turbulent. He was criticised for not ending the disputes between the religious orders and the secular clergy. However, he did succeed in bringing the

Presentation Sisters The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by the Venerable Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The Sisters of the congre ...

to the town, as well as building 'St. Nicholas's parish chapel', later the Pro-Cathedral, on Middle and Lower Abbeygate Streets. The Wardenship was brought to an end in 1831, being absorbed into the new

Diocese of Galway The Roman Catholic Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora ( ga, Deoise na Gaillimhe, Chill Mhic Duaich agus Chill Fhionnúrach) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the west of Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Tuam and is subject ...

. Between 1824 (consecrated 1825) and his death he also served as Bishop of Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora. Ffrench retired to Thornville, Kinvara, building some nine churches, and aiding in school education. Towards the end of his life he lived near his sister, Mrs. Blake-Forster, at Park Lodge,

Gort Gort ( or ) is a town of around 3,000 inhabitants in County Galway in the west of Ireland. Located near the border with County Clare, the town lies between the Burren and the Slieve Aughty and is served by the R458 and R460 regional roads, wh ...

. He died on 14 July 1852 and was buried in the grave of

Colman mac Duagh Saint Colman mac Duagh (c. 560 – 29 October 632) was born at Corker, Kiltartan, County Galway, Ireland, the son of the Irish chieftain Duac (and thus, in Irish, ''mac Duach''). He initially lived as a recluse, living in prayer and prolonged fa ...

. His sister was grandmother to the writer

Charles French Blake-Forster Charles French Blake-Forster (1851–1874) was an Irish writer. Born at Forster Street House, Galway City, the eldest son of Captain Francis Blake-Forster of the Connaught Rangers, educated at home and later in England. Began to play a prominent ...

References

Sources

*''The Wardenship of Galway, 1791-1831'',

Martin Coen Rev. Martin Coen was an Irish priest and historian (6 October 1933 – 2 December 1997). Coen was a grandnephew of Fr. Thomas Cawley (1878–1949) and a great-grandnephew of Fr. Edward Holland, O.D.C. (1838–1918). Born at Raheen House, Gor ...

, private circulation, 1967 *''Dr. Edmund Ffrench'',

, The Presentation Convent, n.d. *''The Dominicans in Galway 1241-1991'', ed. Eustás Ó Héideáin, O.P., 1991 *''The Tribes of Galway'', Adrian James Martyn, Galway, 2001 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ffrench, Edmund Bishops of Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora People from County Galway Irish Dominicans 1775 births 1852 deaths