Michael O'Reilly (born circa 1690, died 1758) was an Irish

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 ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He served as

Bishop of Derry The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the monastic settlement originally founded at Daire Calgach and later known as Daire Colm Cille, Anglicised as Derry. In the Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in ...

from 1739 to 1749 and

Archbishop of Armagh The Archbishop of Armagh is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from the Episcopal see, see city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic success ...

from 1749 to 1758., ''The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 1'', p. 230 and 320., ''Handbook of British Chronology'', p. 416. Born in County Cavan, he studied theology in Paris and was ordained in 1710. He served as parish priest in Cavan. He was Rector of

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

, and was recommended as the

James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs (British political party), Whigs or the King over the Water by Jacobitism, Jacobites, was the House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of Ki ...

on 10 April 1739., ''The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 1'', p. 320. His

papal brief A papal brief or breve (from the Latin "''breve'', meaning "short") is a formal document emanating from the pope. History The introduction of briefs, which occurred at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Eugene IV (3 March 1431 – 23 Februa ...

was dated 24 April 1739 and his

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

took place on 23 September 1739. The following year, he was one of the assisting bishops at the

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

of Francis Stuart,

Bishop of Down and Connor The Bishop of Down and Connor () is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Downpatrick (located in County Down) and the village of Connor (located in County Antrim) in Northern Ireland. The title is still used by the Catholic C ...

. O'Reilly was

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 Metropolitan see of Armagh as archbishop and primate on 23 January 1749., ''The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 1'', p. 230. He died in office in 1758, and was buried near

References

Bibliography

* * 1758 deaths 18th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland Roman Catholic bishops of Derry Roman Catholic archbishops of Armagh Year of birth unknown Christian clergy from County Cavan Alumni of the Irish College in Paris {{Ireland-RC-bishop-stub