John Frederick MacNeice (1866–1942), was born at
Omey,
Co. Galway, to a Protestant family which claimed descent from the kin of the early Irish saint
MacNissi. Opting for the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...
ministry he served notably as rector of
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest ...
,
Co. Antrim and afterwards as
bishop of Cashel, Emly, Waterford and Lismore (1931–1934) and until his death as
bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore
The Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Down, Connor and Dromore; comprising all County Down and County Antrim, including the city of Belfast.
History
The episcopal sees of Down and Conn ...
(1934–1942). MacNeice is well known for his symbolic opposition to the
Partition of Ireland
The partition of Ireland ( ga, críochdheighilt na hÉireann) was the process by which the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland divided Ireland into two self-governing polities: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. ...
(accepted as a political reality): hence his refusal to allow the Union Flag to be laid on
Carson's grave at his funeral in
St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast in 1935. MacNeice was twice married. One of his sons by his first marriage was the poet,
Louis MacNeice.
References
*Jon Stallworthy: ''Louis MacNeice'', Faber and Faber, 1995
*Christopher Fauske: 'Side by Side in a Small Country': ''Bishop John Frederick MacNeice and Ireland'', Church of Ireland Historical Society, 2004
*David Fitzpatrick: 'Solitary and Wild': ''Frederick MacNeice and the Salvation of Ireland'', Lilliput Press, 2011.
1866 births
1942 deaths
Bishops of Cashel and Waterford
Bishops of Down, Connor and Dromore
20th-century Irish Anglican priests
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