Michael O'Reilly (born circa 1690, died 1758) was an Irish

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 Derry from 1739 to 1749 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 1749 to 1758., ''The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 1'', p. 230 and 320., ''Handbook of British Chronology'', p. 416. Born in County Cavan, he studied theology in Paris and was ordained in 1710. He served as parish priest in cavan. He was

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 ...

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 ...

, and was recommended as the Bishop of Derry by

James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs, was the son of King James II and VII of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his second wife, Mary of Modena. He was Prince of Wales from ...

on 10 April 1739., ''The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 1'', p. 320. His

papal brief A papal brief or breve is a formal document emanating from the Pope, in a somewhat simpler and more modern form than a papal bull. History The introduction of briefs, which occurred at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Eugene IV (3 Marc ...

was dated 24 April 1739 and his episcopal ordination took place on 23 September 1739. The following year, he was one of the assisting bishops at the

consecration 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 ...

of Francis Stuart,

Bishop of Down and Connor The Bishop of Down and Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Downpatrick (located in County Down) and the village of Connor (located in County Antrim) in Northern Ireland. The title is still used by the Catholic Chur ...

. O'Reilly 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 on 23 January 1749., ''The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 1'', p. 230. He died in office in 1758, and was buried near

References

Bibliography

* * 1758 deaths 18th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland Roman Catholic bishops of Derry Roman Catholic archbishops of Armagh Year of birth unknown Christian clergy from County Cavan {{Ireland-RC-bishop-stub