Daniel McGettigan (1815–1887) 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 'pre ...

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 ...

.Daniel McGettigan
''Dictionary of Ulster Biography''. Retrieved on 18 January 2011. He served

Bishop of Raphoe The Bishop of Raphoe ( ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bis ...

from 1861 to 1870 and Archbishop of Armagh from 1870 to 1887.

Early life

Born in Mevagh,

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

on 15 November 1815, he was the son of Manasses McGettigan and Mary Boyle., ''The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 2'', pp. 313–314. He was educated at Kildare Street Society School in Mevagh, a classical school in Derry, the seminary in

Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town of County Meath, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the tenth largest settlement in Ireland. It is at the confluence of the River Boyne and Blackwater, around 50&nb ...

, and

St Patrick's College, Maynooth 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. ...

. As a student he adhered to the Gallican doctrine.

Priest

He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood by Patrick McGettigan,

in 1839. He was appointed a curate at

Inver Inver () is a small village in County Donegal, Ireland. It lies on the N56 National secondary road midway between Killybegs to the west and Donegal Town to the east. It is also a civil parish in the historic barony of Banagh. History Inve ...

in October 1839, followed by as a curate at

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the R ...

in March 1840, and then the parish priest in

Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne. Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Location B ...

in June 1855.

Bishop and Archbishop

He was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Raphoe and

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

Geras In Greek mythology, Geras ( grc, Γῆρας, translit=Gễras), also written Gēras, was the god of old age. He was depicted as a tiny, shriveled old man. Gēras's opposite was Hebe, the goddess of youth. His Roman equivalent was Senectus. He ...

by the

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on 18 February 1856 and consecrated to the

Episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

on 18 May 1856. The principal

consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches ...

was Archbishop Joseph Dixon of Armagh. On the death of Patrick McGettigan, he succeeded as Diocesan Bishop of Raphoe on 1 May 1860. He

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 Archdiocese of Armagh by the Holy See on 6 March 1870. McGettigan served as one of the 693 Council Fathers to Pope Pius IX during the First Vatican Council. Daniel McGettigan refused a red hat from Pope Pius IX and

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

; he did not feel worthy. McGettigan was the last

Primate of All Ireland The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. ''Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in ...

not to be a

Prince of the Church The term Prince of the Church is today used nearly exclusively for Catholic cardinals. However, the term is historically more important as a generic term for clergymen whose offices hold the secular rank and privilege of a prince (in the widest s ...

. In his time in Armagh the Cathedral was completed & dedicated on 24 August 1873. McGettigan oversaw the construction of the seven-terraced flight of steps leading from the Cathedral gates to the west door. In the years following he raised funds for, and eventually opened both Archbishop’s House (Ara Coeli) in 1876/7 and Sacristan’s Lodge inside the Cathedral gates 1884-6.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mcgettigan, Daniel 1815 births 1887 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Raphoe 19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland Roman Catholic archbishops of Armagh Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Roman Catholic titular bishops of Geras