Hugh O'Reilly ( ga, Aodh Ó Raghallaigh; c.1580–1653) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as

Bishop of Kilmore The Bishop of Kilmore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the parish of Kilmore, County Cavan in Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishopr ...

from 1625 to 1628 and

Archbishop of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

from 1628 to 1653. He was the son of Honora and Mulmore O'Reilly, who was the grandson of the chief of the

O'Reilly O'Reilly ( ga, Ó Raghallaigh) is a group of families, ultimately all of Irish Gaels, Gaelic origin, who were historically the kings of East Bréifne in what is today County Cavan. The clan were part of the Connachta's Uí Briúin Bréifne kin ...

clan, Fearghal macSeaán, who ruled

East Breifne The Kingdom of East Breifne or Breifne O'Reilly ( sga, Muintir-Maelmordha; ga, Bréifne Uí Raghallaigh, ) was an historic kingdom of Ireland roughly corresponding to County Cavan that existed from 1256 to 1607. It took its present boundaries in 1 ...

from 1526–1534. Hugh O'Reilly was thus eligible for election to the chieftainship under the system of deirbhfhine. Hugh O'Reilly's genealogy is ''Aodh son of Maol Mórdha son of Aodh son of Fearghal son of Seaán son of Cathal son of Eóghan na Fésóige''. Mulmore O'Reilly had four sons by his wife Honora- Émonn, Hugh O'Reilly (Archbishop of Armagh), Fearghal and Domhnall. He also had an illegitimate son, Cathaoir. In the

Plantation of Ulster The Plantation of Ulster ( gle, Plandáil Uladh; Ulster-Scots: ''Plantin o Ulstèr'') was the organised colonisation (''plantation'') of Ulstera province of Irelandby people from Great Britain during the reign of King James I. Most of the sett ...

by grant dated 29 April 1611, King

James VI and I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

granted ''the town and lands of Gortatowill containing 6 polls, comprising a total of 300 acres at an annual rent of £3-4s., to Mulmore McHugh McFarrall O'Rely, gent''. Gortatowill now comprises the townlands of

Prospect, Corlough Prospect (Modern English name meaning ‘An extensive view of landscape’ because of the fine view it gives over Brackley Lough from Prospect Point at the southern tip of the townland. The old Irish place name was "Renmore or Rinn Mór" meaning ...

and

Tawnagh Tawnagh () is a townland in the civil parish of Templeport, County Cavan, Ireland. It lies in the Roman Catholic parish of Corlough and barony of Tullyhaw. Geography Tawnagh is bounded on the west by Derrynacreeve, Derryvahan and Scrabby, Co ...

Corlough Corlough () is a Roman Catholic parish situated in the Barony of Tullyhaw, County Cavan, Ireland. It derives its name from Corlough townland, in which the parish church is situate. It formed part of the larger parish of Templeport until 187 ...

parish. Mulmore died sometime between 1611 and 1637.Bernadette Cunningham, 'O'Reilly, Hugh (c.1581–1653)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 16 March 2008
Hugh O'Reilly (c.1581–1653): .

Career

Hugh O'Reilly was born in the townland of Aghaweely Lower in the parish of Ballintemple and was educated by the local Franciscan Order. He was ordained a priest in 1618 and pursued further studies in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

College. He was appointed

on 9 June 1625,, ''The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 1'', p. 282., ''Handbook of British Chronology'', p. 436. and

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

at St Peter's Church,

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

by Archbishop Thomas Fleming of Dublin in July 1625., ''Handbook of British Chronology'', p. 415. Three years later, he 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 Metropolitan see of Armagh as archbishop and primate by three consistorial acts: dated 5 May, 31 July, and 31 August 1628., ''The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 1'', p. 224. O'Reilly in perhaps most famous for calling a

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

of bishops at

Kells, County Meath Kells (; ) is a town in County Meath, Ireland. The town lies off the M3 motorway, from Navan and from Dublin. Along with other towns in County Meath, it is within the "commuter belt" for Dublin, and had a population of 6,135 as of the 2016 ...

in March 1642 to discuss the ongoing

Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1641) was an uprising by Irish Catholics in the Kingdom of Ireland, who wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and to partially or fully reverse the plantatio ...

. The synod called for an end to the killing of unarmed civilians and robberies, and most considered that the aims of the conflict in support of Catholic rights and King Charles amounted to a

just war The just war theory ( la, bellum iustum) is a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics which is studied by military leaders, theologians, ethicists and policy makers. The purpose of the doctrine is to ensure that a war is m ...

. A smaller group of clergy met with the Catholic nobility at

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

from May 1642, resulting in the founding of the Irish Confederacy later that year, which O'Reilly supported for the rest of his life. He died in office in February 1653, aged 72, and was buried on Trinity Island in

Lough Oughter Lough Oughter () is a lake, or complex of lakes, in County Cavan covering more than . The complex of lakes lies on the River Erne, and forms the southern part of the Lough Erne complex. The lakes are bounded roughly by Belturbet in the north, Ca ...

, the southern part of the

Lough Erne Lough Erne ( , ) is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is the second-biggest lake system in Northern Ireland and Ulster, and the fourth biggest in Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne, ...

complex., ''The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 1'', p. 226.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oreilly, Hugh 1580s births 1653 deaths 17th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland People from County Cavan Roman Catholic archbishops of Armagh Roman Catholic bishops of Kilmore