Thaddeus Francis O'Rourke
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Thaddeus (‘Thady’) Francis O'Rourke (–4 May 1735) was an Irish
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...
who served as the
Bishop of Killala The Bishop of Killala () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Killala in County Mayo, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bis ...
from 1707 to 1735. He had been the
chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
for a time to
Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy-Carignano (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736), better known as Prince Eugene, was a distinguished Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the Army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty durin ...
.


Early Years and Family

Little is known of the early life of O'Rourke. He was most likely born in Breffni, north Leitrim as this is the ancestral home of the family. He was the son of Brian Ballach Óg
O'Rourke O'Rourke () is an Irish Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Leitrim. The family were the historic rulers of Breifne and later West Breifne until the 17th century. The O'Rourke Clan Chief was at odds with the O'Reilly Chie ...
. O'Rourke was a great nephew of Sir Brian "na Múrtha" O'Rourke, Lord of
West Breifne The Kingdom of West Breifne (Irish: ''Breifne Ua Ruairc'') or Breifne O'Rourke was a historic kingdom of Ireland that existed from 1256 to 1605, located in the area that is now County Leitrim. It took its present boundaries in 1583 when West Br ...
. His brother,
Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
Tiernan O'Rourke (1650-1702), fled Ireland after the
Treaty of Limerick The Treaty of Limerick (), signed on 3 October 1691, ended the Williamite War in Ireland, a conflict related to the Nine Years' War (1688–1697). It consisted of two separate agreements, one with military terms of surrender, signed by commander ...
(1691) and served the Hapsburg Empire; he was killed at the
battle of Luzzara The Battle of Luzzara took place in Lombardy on 15 August 1702 during the War of the Spanish Succession, between a combined French and Savoyard army under Louis Joseph, duc de Vendôme, and an Imperial force under Prince Eugene. Conflict in ...
in the
Po valley The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain (, , or ) is a major geographical feature of northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetian Plain, Venetic extension not actu ...
in August 1702. Tiernan was regarded as the Chief of the O'Rourke's of Breffney, and by some accounts it seems he had gained the title of
Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
. After Tiernan's death in 1702, his wife Isabella MacDonagh daughter of Capt. Brian MacDonagh of
Ballindoon Ballindoon () Friary was a Dominican priory beside Lough Arrow in County Sligo County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Irel ...
Castle, Co. Sligo became a
Lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
to
Mary of Modena Mary of Modena (; ) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of James VII and II. A devout Catholic, Roman Catholic, Mary married the widower James, who was t ...
at the Jacobite court at
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a former royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the department of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the '' Musée d'Archéologie nationale'' (Nationa ...
outside
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. She then retired to the house of her daughter Mary and her husband
Denis O'Conor Denis O'Conor, O'Conor Don (; 1794–1847) of Clonalis, County Roscommon, was an Irish nobility, Irish nobleman, and Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, British House ...
at Bellanagare in
county Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...
. She was the grandmother of the
antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...
and protagonist for catholic civil rights Charles O'Conor. His sister, Eleanor O'Rourke, married Lt-Col
Terence MacDonagh
of Creevagh in
county Sligo County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...
. He was the only Catholic
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allowed to practice after the
Penal Laws Penal law refers to criminal law. It may also refer to: * Penal law (British), laws to uphold the establishment of the Church of England against Catholicism * Penal laws (Ireland) In Ireland, the penal laws () were a series of Disabilities (C ...
, Member of Parliament for
Sligo Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...
in the
Patriot Parliament Patriot Parliament is the name commonly used for the Irish Parliament session called by King James II during the Williamite War in Ireland which lasted from 1688 to 1691. The first since 1666, it held only one session, which lasted from 7 May ...
in 1689,
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,
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and landowner. After her husband's death in 1713, Eleanor moved to Bellanagare with her O'Conor relations.


Religious Life

He joined the Irish Franciscans on the continent some time before 1665. He obtained the Licentiate in Sacred Theology (Latin: Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus; abbreviated STL) and lectured for a while. The most likely location for his lecturing career was the Irish Franciscan
College of the Immaculate Conception, Prague College of the Immaculate Conception, Prague, was a Franciscan College, founded in 1629 by Irish Franciscan priests from Louvain. Instrumental in its foundation was its first Rector Patrick Fleming from Leuven, also involved was Fr Malachy Fallon ...
. O'Rourke served as chaplain and private secretary to
Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy-Carignano (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736), better known as Prince Eugene, was a distinguished Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the Army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty durin ...
. Here he came to the attention of James III who nominated him as Bishop of Killala in 1705. Prince Eugene then introduced O'Rourke
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I (Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Franz Felician; ; 9 June 1640 – 5 May 1705) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, List of Croatian monarchs, Croatia, and List of Bohemian monarchs, Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Rom ...
. Leopold gave O'Rourke letters of commendation to Queen Anne and a personally signed passport. A Papal brief appointing O'Rourke to Killala was issued on 15 March 1707. The bishop-elect travelled to London and received an audience with Queen Anne. Now under royal protection from the effects of the Banishment Act of 1697, he made his way to
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
. There he arranged his consecration in
Newgate jail Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey, just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, the pris ...
by Patrick Donnelly,
Bishop of Dromore The Bishop of Dromore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the original monastery of Dromore in County Down, Northern Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church the title still continues as a separate bishopric, but in the Church of Irela ...
, assisted by Edmund Byrne, archbishop-elect of Dublin, and Fergus O'Farrell (Ferral), archdeacon of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise. The diocese of Killala was one of the smallest and most remote in Ireland and had effectively been without a bishop since 1661. Unable to reside in the diocese, he took up residence with his brother-in-law, Terence MacDonagh, at Creevagh, Co. Sligo. There were only nineteen priests in the diocese at the time and bishop O'Rourke and had a busy job, When visiting his diocese, he stayed in the cottages of the ordinary people. One of the few active catholic bishops in Ireland at the time, he confirmed many people, ordained priests in several parts of the country, and consecrated a number of bishops such as in 1714 he consecrated Francis Burke as
Archbishop of Tuam The Archbishop of Tuam ( ; ) is an Episcopal polity, archbishop which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Cathol ...
and Ambrose O'Madden as
Bishop of Clonfert The Bishop of Clonfert () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clonfert in County Galway, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title; but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with oth ...
. Queen Anne changed her religious policies after the death of
Emperor Joseph I Joseph I (Joseph Jacob Ignaz Johann Anton Eustachius; 26 July 1678 – 17 April 1711) was Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1705 until his death in 1711. He was the eldest son of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor from his thi ...
in 1711. No longer immune from prosecution, O’Rourke fled to the isolated area around Meelick friary in east
County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
and hid his identity under the name of Mr Fielding. After the death of Councellor MacDonagh in 1713, he took up residence with the O'Conors of Bellanagare, Co. Roscommon, where he acted as tutor to his great-nephew, the antiquarian and writer Charles O'Conor (1710–91). He had to go into hiding again in 1732–4.


Death

Bishop O'Rourke died, probably at Bellanagare, on 13 March 1735 and was buried at
Creevelea Abbey Creevelea Abbey is an early 16th-century Franciscan friary and National Monument located in Dromahair, County Leitrim, Ireland. Although in ruins, Creevelea Abbey is still in use as a grave yard. Location Creevelea Abbey is located west of Dro ...
near
Dromahair Dromahair () is a village in County Leitrim, Ireland. Dromahair is 10 km (6 mi) from Manorhamilton and 17 km (10 mi) from Sligo town. Geography Dromahair lies in the hilly north west of County Leitrim amid some stunning uns ...
in
county Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...
. Among the family heirlooms of the O’Conor family at
Clonalis House Clonalis House () is an historic manor house in Castlerea, County Roscommon, Ireland, and the ancestral home of the O'Conor Don, who are direct descendants of Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair, King of Connacht, a younger brother of Ruaidrí Ua Co ...
is O’Rourke's plain chalice (designed to screw apart for easy concealment), his liturgical vestments, a copy of a letter of safe conduct from Emperor Leopold I to Queen Anne relating to O’Rourke's return to Ireland as well as his pectoral cross and episcopal ring, the latter two believed to have been presented to him by Prince Eugene.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:OKeeffe, Cornelius 1650s births 1735 deaths 18th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland Roman Catholic bishops of Killala Christian clergy from County Sligo