Arthur O'Leary (1729 – 8 January 1802) was an Irish Capuchin friar and polemical writer.

Life

O'Leary was born at Fanlobbus,

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

, Ireland. He was educated with the Capuchins of

Saint Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany. The walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the All ...

, where he was ordained and spent twenty-four years as a prison chaplain.Webb, Alfred. "Arthur O'Leary", ''A Compendium of Irish Biography'', 1878
/ref> In 1777 he returned to

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

to engage in missionary work. His preaching soon attracted large audiences. He is charged by James Froude with having received secret-service money from the Government, but other historians consider this unproven. In 1786-88 he argued the Catholic case in the so-called "Paper War" between conservative Protestants and moderates that sought further legal reform of 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 ...

, leading towards Catholic emancipation. O'Leary's arguments helped

Henry Grattan Henry Grattan (3 July 1746 – 4 June 1820) was an Irish politician and lawyer who campaigned for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century from Britain. He was a Member of the Irish Parliament (MP) from 1775 to 18 ...

with his proposal in 1788 to remove the

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

paid by Roman Catholics to the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

, but this was voted down by the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland () was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until the end of 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chambers: the Irish Hou ...

. From 1789 till his death he was chaplain to the Spanish embassy in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He was a wit, and socially acquainted with the circle of

Edmund Burke Edmund Burke (; 12 January ew Style, NS1729 – 9 July 1797) was an Anglo-Irish Politician, statesman, journalist, writer, literary critic, philosopher, and parliamentary orator who is regarded as the founder of the Social philosophy, soc ...

Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, writer and Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons from 1780 to 1812, representing the constituencies of Stafford, Westminster and I ...

, and

Charles James Fox Charles James Fox (24 January 1749 – 13 September 1806), styled ''The Honourable'' from 1762, was a British British Whig Party, Whig politician and statesman whose parliamentary career spanned 38 years of the late 18th and early 19th centurie ...

, and an honorary member of

The Monks of the Screw The Monks of the Screw was the name of an Irish drinking club active in the period 1779–1789. It was also called the Order of St. Patrick. The "screw" referred to the corkscrew required to open a bottle of wine. Ethos and foundation According ...

. In the 1790s he built the original

St Patrick's Church, Soho Square St Patrick's Church is a large Roman Catholic parish church in Soho Square, London. St Pat's (as it is informally known) was consecrated as a chapel in a building behind Carlisle House on 29 September 1792, one of the first Catholic buildings a ...

for the poor London Irish living around

St Giles Saint Giles (, , , , ; 650 - 710), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 7th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly legendary. A ...

.Obituary in the Annual Register, 1802 He died in London and was buried in Old St Pancras Churchyard. His name is listed on the

Burdett-Coutts Memorial The Burdett-Coutts Memorial Sundial is a structure built in the churchyard of Old St Pancras, London, in 1877–79, at the behest of Baroness Burdett-Coutts. The former churchyard included the burial ground for St Giles-in-the-Fields, where m ...

to the eminent graves lost from the graveyard.

Works

Famous as a preacher, writer, and controversialist, he published tracts characterized by learning, religious feeling, toleration, and allegiance to the Crown. His work for reform of the anti-Catholic

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 ...

was too heterodox for some Catholics.O'Leary, Edward. "Arthur O'Leary." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 20 March 2020 Formerly, Catholics had been loyal to the Jacobite movement, and some felt that O'Leary was being too friendly to the Hanoverian dynasty. He realised that an engagement with Protestants was necessary to ensure reforms from the British and Irish parliaments, whose members were all Protestant at that time. Reforms had just started with the

Papists Act 1778 The Papists Act 1778 ( 18 Geo. 3. c. 60), also known as Sir George Savile's Act, the First Relief Act, or the Catholic Relief Act 1778 is an act of the Parliament of Great Britain and was the first act for Roman Catholic relief. Later in 17 ...

and the

Roman Catholic Relief Act 1791 The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1791 ( 31 Geo. 3. c. 32) is an act of the Parliament of Great Britain passed in 1791 relieving Roman Catholics of certain political, educational, and economic disabilities. It admitted them to the practice of la ...

. During the 1790s he was, like many Catholics, horrified at the

Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution The aim of several policies conducted by various governments of France during the French Revolution ranged from the appropriation by the government of the great landed estates and the large amounts of money held by the Catholic Church to the te ...

. At the time when the penal laws were slowly being reformed, his aim was for Catholics in Britain and Ireland to achieve legal equality with

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

s, and he was a precursor of those who finally obtained Catholic emancipation in 1829. Among his writings are: *''A Defence of the Divinity of Christ and the Immortality of the Soul'' *''Loyalty Asserted, or the Test Oath Vindicated'' *''An Address to the Roman Catholics Concerning the Apprehended Invasion of the French'' *''Essay on Toleration'' *''A Reply to John Wesley''

Notes

References

* ;Attribution * The entry cites: **Thomas Richard England, ''Life of Rev. Arthur O'Leary'' (Cork, 1822) **M. B. Buckley, ''Life of Rev. Arthur O'Leary'' (Dublin, 1868) ** James Froude, ''The English in Ireland in the eighteenth century'' **''Life and times of Henry Grattan'' (London, 1832–46) **''Dictionary of British and American Authors'' (Philadelphia, 1859–71) {{DEFAULTSORT:Oleary, Arthur Legal history of Ireland 1729 births 1802 deaths History of Christianity in the United Kingdom Irish Friars Minor 18th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Christian clergy from County Cork Writers from County Cork