Laurence F. Renehan (1797–1857) was an Irish historian, author, administrator and Roman Catholic priest who served as president of

St Patrick's College, Maynooth 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. ...

from 1845 to 1857. Renehan conducted extensive research on the history of Catholicism in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Biography

Renehan was born in 1797 at Longford Pass in the parish of Gurtnahoe,

Tipperary Tipperary is the name of: Places *County Tipperary, a county in Ireland **North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh **South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel *Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...

. He was educated first at Freshfield and then 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 ...

. In September 1819, Renehan entered St. Patrick's College as a student for the

Archdiocese of Cashel The Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly ( ga, Ard-Deoise Chaisil agus Imligh) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in mid-western Ireland and the metropolis ...

to study

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...

. In 1825, Renehan was elected a

Dunboyne Dunboyne () is a town in Meath, Ireland. It is a commuter town for Dublin. In the 20 years between the 1996 and 2016 censuses, the population of Dunboyne more than doubled from 3,080 to 7,272 inhabitants. Location Dunboyne is centred on the ...

student. On 15 September 1825, Renehan was appointed junior dean, and a few weeks later was ordained a priest. On 27 July 1827 Renehan was elected professor of

scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...

at St. Patrick's. He held this position until June 1834, when he became vice-president of the college. From 4 June 1841 to 24 June 1843, Renehan also filled the office of

bursar A bursar (derived from "bursa", Latin for '' purse'') is a professional administrator in a school or university often with a predominantly financial role. In the United States, bursars usually hold office only at the level of higher education (f ...

and was instrumental in extricating the college from financial difficulties. In 1845, Renehan became president of St. Patrick's While college president, Renehan commissioned

Augustus Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...

to construct the buildings on St. Mary's Square at the college. These buildings include the Russell Library and a large meeting-room that was later named after Renehan. Renehan was a historian of the development of

Catholicism in Ireland , native_name_lang = ga , image = Armagh, St Patricks RC cathedral.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh. , abbreviation = , type ...

.Some figures from the past
Maynooth College website, accessed 22 August 2007 He collected 79 volumes of early Irish Church

manuscripts A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...

, housed today in the Russell Library. Renehan served as St, Patrick's president until his death on 27 July 1857. He is buried in a small cemetery on the campus.

Works

* ''Collections on Irish Church History, Vol. 1: Irish Archbishops'', not published during his lifetime. It was later edited by his colleague Daniel McCarthy and published in 1861 by C.M. Warren and Thomas Richardson, Dublin. * ''Requiem Office'' * ''Choir Manual of Sacred Music'' * ''History of Music''.

References

External links

Maynooth College - Pontifical University (official website)

National University of Ireland, Maynooth (official website)

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry for Laurence F. Renehan

Renehan's "History of Music" on Google Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Renehan, Laurence 1797 births 1857 deaths 19th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Irish historians of religion Irish antiquarians Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Presidents of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Burials at Maynooth College Cemetery