Michael Moore ( ir, Micheál Ó Mordha) (c.1639–1726) 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 ...
priest, philosopher and educationalist.
Early life
Moore – generally referred to as ''Moore'' or ''Moor'' in contemporary documents – was born in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
about 1639. He left Ireland at a young age to be educated in
Nantes
Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...
and
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, where he taught
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
and
rhetoric
Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...
at the Collège des Grassins. He was proposed for the position of
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
at the
University of Paris
, image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of Arms
, latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis
, motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin)
, mottoeng = Here and a ...
in June 1677 by a faction who wished to replace the then rector, Nicholas Pieres, but felt compelled to decline the offer.
Returning to Ireland in the early 1680s, he was ordained in 1684.
Archbishop of Dublin
The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Irelan ...
,
Patrick Russell appointed him
vicar-general
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...
of the
Diocese of Dublin.
Provost of Trinity College
Upon the flight of
provost Robert Huntington
Robert Huntington (1637–1701) was an English churchman, orientalist and manuscript collector. He was Provost of Trinity College Dublin and Bishop of Raphoe.
Life
He was second son of the Rev. Robert Huntington, curate of Deerhurst in Glouceste ...
of
Trinity College, Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
, in 1689, Moore became the college's first
Catholic
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 ...
provost. He acquired the post via the influence of
Richard Talbot, Earl of Tyrconnell, to whom he was
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...
and
confessor
Confessor is a title used within Christianity in several ways.
Confessor of the Faith
Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith but not to the point of death.[Catholic Encyclopedia
The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...]
states "The college was seized by the Jacobites, the chapel was made a powder magazine, one portion of the building was turned into a barrack, and another into a gaol for persons suspected of disaffection to the royal cause. .. He upheld the rights of the college, secured it from further pillage, and endeavoured to mitigate the treatment of the prisoners. With the librarian, Father McCarthy, he prevented the soldiery from burning the library, and by preserving its precious collections rendered an incalculable service to letters."
However, a sermon which Moore delivered in
Christ Church Cathedral concerning King James's ecclesiastical policies so offended the king that he was obliged to resign the post in 1690; after this, he returned to Paris. He moved to Rome in 1691 when King James arrived in Paris, after fleeing Dublin in the wake of the Jacobite defeat at the
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne ( ga, Cath na Bóinne ) was a battle in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II of England and Ireland, VII of Scotland, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II (his cousin and ...
.
In Rome
While in Rome, Moore became
Censor of Books. He came to the attention and favour of the successive
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
s,
Innocent XII
Pope Innocent XII ( la, Innocentius XII; it, Innocenzo XII; 13 March 1615 – 27 September 1700), born Antonio Pignatelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1691 to his death in September 1700.
He ...
(1691–1700) and
Clement XI
Pope Clement XI ( la, Clemens XI; it, Clemente XI; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721.
Clement XI w ...
(1700–1721). When
Cardinal Barbarigo
Gregorio Giovanni Gaspare Barbarigo (16 September 1625 – 18 June 1697) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal who served as the Bishop of Bergamo and later as the Bishop of Padua. He was a frontrunner in both the 1689 and 1691 papal concl ...
established his college at
Montefiascone
Montefiascone is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Viterbo, in Lazio, central Italy. It stands on a hill on the southeast side of Lake Bolsena, about north of Rome.
History
The name of the city derives from that of the Falisci (''Mons Fa ...
, he appointed Ó Mordha as rector and professor of philosophy and
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
. The college attracted men of learning, and received from Innocent XII an annual grant of two thousand crowns.
Rector of the University of Paris
After the death of James II in 1701, Moore returned to France, where – through
Cardinal de Noailles – he was appointed Rector of the University of Paris. He remains the only Irishman to hold the post, serving from 10 October 1701 to 9 October 1702. He was also made principal of the
Collège de Navarre
The College of Navarre (french: Collège de Navarre) was one of the colleges of the historic University of Paris, rivaling the Sorbonne and renowned for its library.
History
It was founded by Queen Joan I of Navarre in 1305, who provided for thr ...
, and professor of philosophy, Greek, and
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
in the
Collège de France
The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment (''grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris ne ...
.
Final years
In 1702 he delivered the annual
panegyric
A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens.
Etymology
The word originated as a compound of grc, ...
on
Louis XIV
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Vers ...
. Moore joined Dr. Farrelly (Fealy) in purchasing a house near the Irish College for poor Irish students. Blind for some years he had to employ an
amanuensis
An amanuensis () is a person employed to write or type what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another, and also refers to a person who signs a document on behalf of another under the latter's authority. In one example Eric Fenby ...
, who took advantage of his master's affliction to steal and sell many hundred volumes of his choice library. What remained, Moore bequeathed to the Irish College.
He died in the Collège de Navarre, and was buried in the vault under the chapel of the Irish College.
References
* "Irishmen in the University of Paris in the 17th and 18th Centuries", Patrick Boyle, in ''Irish Ecclesiastical Record'', 14, pp. 24–45, 1903.
* "Knowledge and Piety:Michael Moore's Career at the University of Paris and Collège de France, 1701–20",
Liam Chambers, in ''Eighteenth-Century Ireland'', vol. 17, pp. 9–24, 2002.
Bibliography
* ''De Existentia Dei, et Humanae Mentis Immortalitate, secundum Cartesii et Aristotelis Doctrinam'', Paris, 1692.
* ''Hortatio ad Studium Linguae Graecae et Hebraicae'', Montefiascone, 1700.
* ''Vera Sciendi Methodus'', Paris, 1716.
External links
* http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10553a.htm
*
* https://web.archive.org/web/20111002042449/http://www.fourcourtspress.ie/product.php?intProductID=352
* http://www.irishineurope.com/front
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Michael
17th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests
Irish philosophers
17th-century Irish Roman Catholic theologians
Provosts of Trinity College Dublin
Irish educators
People from County Dublin
18th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests
1630s births
1723 deaths
18th-century Irish Roman Catholic theologians