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, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

and Ireland.

Biography

O'Higgins was born in Barragh Beg, Drumlish,

County Longford County Longford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the Local government in the Republic ...

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, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. 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 (, , ) was for three centuries a major Roman Catholic educational establishment for Irish students. It was founded in the late 16th century, and closed down by the French government in the early 20th century. From 1945 t ...

, closed since the French Revolution., O'Higgins was ordained in 1817 and graduated from the

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University () is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to the Middle Ages in 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sorbon as a constituent college of the Unive ...

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 (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

, 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 Pope Gregory XVI (; ; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in June 1846. He had adopted the name Mauro upon enteri ...

. Returning to Ireland O'Higgins taught at

Maynooth College St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland. The college and national seminary on its grounds are often referred to as Maynooth College. The college was of ...

, 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 Chu ...

. O'Higgins was elevated to the Ardagh and Clonmacnoise bishopric, following the death of Bishop James Magauran in 1829, O'Higgins served in this post until his own death. A supporter of

Irish Nationalism Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cult ...

and Catholic emancipation in Ireland, O'Higgins gaelicised his surname, adding the O in recognition of his friend

Daniel O'Connell Daniel(I) O’Connell (; 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 mobilisation of Catholic Irelan ...

. 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 b ...

, 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, 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