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 ...
) ( – 1726) was a
priest hunter
A priest hunter was a person who, acting on behalf of the English and later British government, spied on or captured Catholic priests during Penal Times. Priest hunters were effectively bounty hunters. Some were volunteers, experienced soldiers o ...
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 ...
.
Born John O'Mullowny in Derrew, near Ballyheane, County Mayo, he began his career as a horse thief but was arrested and sentenced to death in
Castlebar
Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. W ...
in his youth. When the grand jury became aware of his low character, they cut a deal with him in which he agreed to turn priest hunter to escape the hangman's noose. The 1709 Penal Act demanded that
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 ...
priests take the Oath of
Abjuration
Abjuration is the solemn repudiation, abandonment, or renunciation by or upon oath, often the renunciation of citizenship or some other right or privilege. The term comes from the Latin ''abjurare'', "to forswear".
Abjuration of the realm
Abju ...
and recognise the Protestant Queen Anne as Supreme Head of the Church of England and Ireland. Any cleric that refused was sentenced to death by the Anglican-controlled judicial system.
O'Mullowney was a talented rogue and excelled at the activity of hunting clergy. He received £100 for the capture of an archbishop or bishop, £20 for a priest, and £10 for obtaining a
hedge school
Hedge schools ( Irish names include '' scoil chois claí'', ''scoil ghairid'' and ''scoil scairte'') were small informal secret and illegal schools, particularly in 18th- and 19th-century Ireland, designed to secretly provide the rudiments of ...
teacher, and £5 for a priest in training;Hugh Carthy, Irish author, historian, and tour guide sizable amounts at the time. These men would then be executed if they refused to take the Act of Abjuration. O'Mullowney used the money to fund his heavy drinking and expensive tastes. One technique used by him was to pretend to be sick and close to death. He would then call for a priest to confess his numerous sins. When a priest would arrive, O'Mullowny would grab a knife hidden under the bedclothes, and attempt to capture or kill his
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. He is said to be buried in the graveyard at
Ballintubber Abbey
Ballintubber Abbey is an abbey 2 kilometres northeast of Ballintubber, Mayo in Ireland that was founded by King Cathal Crobdearg Ua Conchobair in 1216.
History
Despite being suppressed and damaged during the Protestant Reformation, the roofles ...
* De Burca, Eamon (1987). ''South Mayo Family Research Centre Journal''.
* Nugent, Tony (2013), ''Were You at the Rock? The History of Mass Rocks in Ireland'', The Liffey Press.