Francis McCormack (8 April 1833 – 14 November 1909) was an Irish Catholic bishop of the 19th and 20th century.

Early life and family

Francis Joseph McCormack was born in Ballintubber in 1833. He studied for the priesthood in

Maynooth College St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland. ...

. His nephew, Captain Patrick McCormack, was one of the

Cairo Gang The Cairo Gang was a group of British intelligence agents who were sent to Dublin during the Irish War of Independence to conduct intelligence operations against prominent members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) with, according to Irish intel ...

assassinated on

Bloody Sunday (1920) Bloody Sunday ( ga, Domhnach na Fola) was a day of violence in Dublin on 21 November 1920, during the Irish War of Independence. More than 30 people were killed or fatally wounded. The day began with an Irish Republican Army (IRA) operation, ...

. Dr McCormack was also a cousin of the founder of the Land League, Michael Davitt.

Priest

McCormack was ordained a priest in 1862.

Bishop

McCormack was consecrated a bishop by John McEvilly,

Archbishop of Tuam The Archbishop of Tuam ( ; ga, Ard-Easpag Thuama) is an archbishop 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 Catholic Church. Histor ...

. He was

Bishop of Achonry The Bishop of Achonry () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Achonry in County Sligo, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bis ...

1871 to 1887. In 1879 a minor famine saw 300 people beg food from the bishop at

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

. He wrote a letter to the Land League, contrasting the vast sums spent on the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coupl ...

and Second Anglo-Afghan War with the minimal amount the government spent on famine relief. He also condemned "assisted emigration," whereby landlords paid the fare to get rid of unwanted tenants. In 1887 McCormack was

translated Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

to the Diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh where he served until he retired due to ill health in 1908. He died in 1909. He is buried in Galway Cathedral crypt, his papers are stored in the Diocesan archive.

References

1833 births 1909 deaths People from County Mayo Roman Catholic bishops of Achonry Roman Catholic bishops of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth {{Ireland-RC-bishop-stub