Samuel Foley (1655–1695), was bishop of Down and Connor.

Life

Foley was the eldest son of Samuel Foley of

Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...

and Dublin (d. 1695), and the younger brother of Thomas Foley, founder of the

Old Swinford Hospital Old Swinford Hospital is a secondary boarding school in Oldswinford, Stourbridge, West Midlands, England that has been in continuous operation since the 17th century. It is one of 36 state boarding schools in England, meaning school fees are f ...

. His mother, Elizabeth, was sister of Colonel Solomon Richards of Polsboro, Wexford. He was born at Clonmel 25 November 1655. He was educated firstly at

Kilkenny College Kilkenny College is an independent Church of Ireland co-educational day and boarding secondary school located in Kilkenny, in the South-East of Ireland. It is the largest co-educational boarding school in Ireland. The school's students are mainly ...

and was admitted as a commoner at

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 ...

on 8 June 1672. He was elected as a fellow on 11 June 1697 and was ordained in 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 second ...

in 1678. On 14 February 1688–9 he was installed as chancellor of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and was attainted by James II's parliament in the same year. On 4 April 1691 he became

dean of Achonry The Dean of Achonry used to be based at the Cathedral Church of St Crumnathy, Achonry (closed in 1997) in the Diocese of Achonry within the united bishopric of Tuam, Killala and Achonry of the Church of Ireland. List of deans of Achonry *1582– ...

and precentor of

Killala Killala () is a village in County Mayo in Ireland, north of Ballina. The railway line from Dublin to Ballina once extended to Killala. To the west of Killala is a Townsplots West (known locally as Enagh Beg), which contains a number of ancient ...

. He proceeded D.D. of Trinity College in the same year. On 4 October 1694 he was enthroned

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 ...

in succession to Thomas Hacket, who had been deprived for gross neglect of duty. He died of fever at Lisburn 22 May 1695, and was buried there. The bishop was married, and left children.

Writings

* ''Two sermons, the first preached in Christ-Church, Dublin, Feb. 19 1681, the other ..Apr. 24 1682'' (London, 1683). * ''A sermon preached at the primary visitation of His Grace Francis Lord Arch-Bishop of Dublin'' (London, 1683). * ''An Account of the Giant's Causeway'' published in the ''Philosophical Transactions'' for 1694. * ''An Exhortation to the Inhabitants of Down and Connor concerning the Religious Education of their Children'' (Dublin 1695). Foley left some manuscripts on the controversy between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism to the library of Trinity College, Dublin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Samuel 1655 births 1695 deaths 17th-century Irish Anglican priests Bishops of Down and Connor (Church of Ireland) Christian clergy from County Tipperary Fellows of Trinity College Dublin People educated at Kilkenny College Deans of Achonry People from Clonmel