William O'Higgins (1794-1853), was an Irish Roman Catholic priest and professor, who served as Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, from 1829 until his death in 1853. O'Higgins taught english and theology in France, the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

and Ireland.

Biography

O'Higgins was born in Barragh Beg,

Drumlish Drumlish () is a village in County Longford, Ireland on the R198 regional road north of Longford Town. History Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of ringfort sites in Drumlish and its surrounding townlands. The rema ...

County Longford County Longford ( gle, Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,6 ...

on August 1, 1794, His nephew was William T. O'Higgins who served as a chaplain in the

American Civil war The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. O'Higgins attended school in Longford and Leitrim. In 1812, he went to Paris to study for the priesthood at the Picpus Seminary. In 1815, O'Higgins assisted in the reopening of the

Irish College in Paris The Irish College in Paris (french: Collège des Irlandais, links=no, la, Collegium Clericorum Hibernoram) was for three centuries a major Roman Catholic educational establishment for Irish students. It was founded in the late 16th century, and c ...

, closed since the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

., O'Higgins was ordained in 1817 and graduated from the Sorbonne University with an MA in 1818, ranking first in his BD exam. He then held the Chair of English at the Irish College, where he was Professor of Theology. O'Higgins taught at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

, before going to Rome. There he earned Maxima cum laude for his Doctorate of Divinity, following the defence of his thesis before the future Pope Gregory XVI. Returning to Ireland O'Higgins taught at

Maynooth College St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland. ...

, where he held the chair of

dogmatic theology Dogmatic theology, also called dogmatics, is the part of theology dealing with the theoretical truths of faith concerning God and God's works, especially the official theology recognized by an organized Church body, such as the Roman Catholic Ch ...

. O'Higgins was elevated to the Ardagh and Clonmacnoise bishopric, following the death of Bishop

James Magauran James Magauran (or Magaurin), Doctor of Divinity, D.D., (1769/71–1829) was an Ireland, Irish cleric who served as the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise from 1815 to 1829. At ...

in 1829, O'Higgins served in this post until his own death. A supporter of Irish Nationalism and Catholic emancipation in Ireland, O'Higgins gaelicised his surname, adding the O in recognition of his friend

Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (I) ( ga, Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilizat ...

. In 1840, O'Higgins laid the foundation stone for

St Mel's Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St Mel is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, located in the town of Longford in Ireland. Built between 1840 and 1856, with the belfry and portico as later additions, it has been ...

, Longford, the cathedral was finished by his successor Rt. Rev. Dr. John Kilduff. O'Higgins died in 1853.

Legacy

In 2020 a statue of O'Higgins by sculptor

Dony MacManus Donal "Dony" MacManus is an Irish sculptor and educator. MacManus graduated with a degree from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, as well as an Art Teaching Diploma. He worked as a teacher in St. David's, Artane, Dublin. He studied ...

, commissioned by the Bishop William O'Higgins Heritage Project was unveiled outside St. Mary's Church, Drumlish. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the dedication ceremony was delayed until August 28, 2021, by Bishop Francis Duffy.Special ceremony in Drumlish today for famous historical Bishop statue
- News, Shannonside Radio, August 28, 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OHiggins, William 1794 births 1853 deaths People from County Longford Roman Catholic bishops of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise University of Paris alumni