Diocese of Killala

Walsh c. xxviii., p. 272.

t IOOESE OP KILLALA Was founded by Saint Muredach son of Eochaid who is erroneously supposed to have been contemporary with St Patrick Its founder was descended of the royal house of Leogaire In tracing his genealogy Colgan shows that he must have lived much later than St Patrick's time St Muredach was contemporary with St Columba and was one of those who assembled at Ballysadare in the county of Sligo to pay their respects to the apostle of the Hebrides after the meeting at Drumceat he was then bishop of Killala No account of his promotion or of his death remains The 12th of August is assigned to his festival and may have been the day of his death It is recorded among the people of the diocese that his remains were deposited in the island of Innismurray which belonged to the parish of Aughris but it is now attached to the diocese of Elphin The assembly of Drumceat was held in the year 590 and consequently the see of Killala must have been founded in that century In the life of St Cormac we read that St Patrick St Bridget St Columba St Cannech and St Muredach bishop blessed the port of Killala In the town of Killala is to be seen one of the round towers concerning which there has been so much controversy or conjecture The erection of this tower the most perfect of its kind at present in Ireland and of the first church of Killala is attributed to Gobhan an architect and divine of the sixth and seventh centuries The pious builder retired to a cell within a mile of Killala where the stone intended for the apex of the tower is still to be seen the cell was called Kilgobhan and scarcely a vestige of it remains It has shared the fate of other monuments which like it reminded one of the glory of other days It was situated in the townland of Cartoon which belongs to Knox of Castle reagh whose herds of cattle now tread over this venerable spot Nearer

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the town is another cell Killibron or the cell of Bronus with whom St Patrick is said to have sojourned a considerable time during his important mission in Tyrawley It has become a victim also to the devastating fury of the sixteenth century Some years since the round tower of Killala was struck by lightning and a hideous chasm was formed in its side but the last Protestant bishop has repaired it The ancient name of this district was Hy Fiachra but it has obtained its present one from Awley the prince who divided his possessions among his sons and retired to a cell built here hence Killala or church of Awley Kellach bishop of Killala in the reign of Tuathal Maelgarb was the son of Doghan or according to others of Owen Beol king of Con naught Tuathal began his reign in the year 528 and died in the year 544 The Bishop Kellach was the great grandson of Oliol Molt of the Hy Fiachras of Connaught who succeeded to the throne in 463 Kellach the bishop was murdered about the year 544 by his fosterers near Ballina the murderers were brought to justice and torn asunder by four horses The hill of Ardnaree on which they were executed was called Ardnariagh ie the hill of the execution We have then the incumbency of a bishop in Tyrawley before the time of St Muredach who met St Columba at Ballysadare in the year 590 Muredach was not then the first of this see who attended there as bishop nor can it be supposed that a district so important as Tyrawley and one to which St Patrick was attentive would be without a local bishop to provide for the spiritual wants of the people while in places of lesser note we read of his appointing bishops as at Caisseal Jora in Sligo If Muredach had been the first bishop the district of Killala must have been without a bishop from the departure of St Patrick in 441 until the middle of the sixth century It is more reasonable to suppose that it was not erected into a regular see until the time of St Muredach Ware asserts that St Muredach was consecrated by St Patrick about 440 In the tripartite life of St Patrick it is said that he made Muredach one of his disciples the first bishop of Killala But as St Muredach is to be found in the sixth generation from the monarch Leogaire it is impossible that he could have then flourished O Maelfogamair called bishop of Tyrawley and O Fiachra died in 1151 We have in the records of the bishops of Killala an awful chasm the Danes having done their work of destruction Imar O Ruadan bishop of O Fiachra died in 1177 Donatus O Beoda bishop of Killala on the 30th of March 1198 obtained from Pope Innocent III the confirmation of the possessions belonging to this see Donatus died in 1207

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Seven MacCeles bishops of Killala are mentioned in the book of of Leacan compiled by MacFirbis Leacan is situated in the parish of Kilglass Tireragh The ruins of the castle of MacFirbis are scarcely more than traceable Cormac OTarpaid bishop of Killala succeeded and died in 1226 John O Melfogamair called bishop of O Fiachra Mui died in 1234 Gilla Kelly O Ruadhin bishop of Killala died in 1253 He accompanied Florence MaeFlyn archbishop of Tuam to England to seek redress of grievances O Laideg bishop of Killala died in 1275 John O Laidig or O Loyn a Dominican friar died in October 1280 Donatus O Flaherty was elected bishop of Killala and obtained the royal assent on the 16th of Aprill 281 He was the most eminent of the Irish in piety He fell sick on his way to Dublin and died at Dun boyne in 1306 He was honorably interred in the house of the Virgin Mary at Mullingar John Tankard archdeacon of Killala was elected on the 13th of June 1306 and was confirmed by the archbishop of Tuam John O Laitin bishop of Killala died in 1343 The see was vacant almost three years William O Dowda succeeded swore fealty to the king and obtained the temporals on the 25th of March 1347 and sat three years He was the founder of churches and sanctuaries and eminent for his piety alms giving and humanity Robert a native of Waterford succeeded AD 1350 Brian FitzDonagh O Dowda was elected in 1381 but his consecration is doubtful Thomas Lodowis a Dominican friar was advanced to the see by Pope Urban VI on the 9th of August 1381 This bishop died about the close of the year 1388 Thomas Orwell succeeded in 1389 was a Franciscan friar Translated in 1400 to a diocese not known Thomas archdeacon of Killala succeeded by the provision of Pope Boniface IX in March 1400 but he sat only a very short time Muredach Cleragh succeeded and died in 1403 O Hanik dean of Killala was promoted to the see in 1416 and diod this year Connor O Connell succeeded and died in 1423 Martin succeeded and died in 1431 Manus FitzFultagh O Dowda archdeacon of Killala was advanced to the see and died in 1436

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Connor O Connell bishop of Killala was slain in the year 1461 by Manus O Dowda's son Donatus O Connor a Dominican friar was made bishop of this see in 1461 John O Cashin bishop of Killala resigned about the year 1490 Thomas bishop of Killala assisted at a provincial council held at Tnam in 1493 and died in 1497 Thomas Clerk archdeacon of Soder succeeded by the Pope's provision on the 3d of June 1498 and died in 1508 Majachy O Clowan succeeded in 1505 by provision of Pope Julius IL the see being then vacant by the resignation of his predecessor Thomas He was consecrated in 1508 by Octavian de Palatio the primate Richard Barrett was bishop of Killala in 1523 Assisted by his proctor at a provincial synod held in Galway in 1536 The chiefs of North Connaught the O Dowdas and MacDonaghs at the instigation of the bishop Richard Barrett marched against the sept of Richard Bnrke The people of the country fled before them with their property to the monastery of St Ternan Errew Crossmalina but the bishop carried off the preys to the forces and would not restore them in honor of St Tiernan Redmond Gallagher sat in the see AD 1549 A bishop Walsh was appointed at this time but was not constituted the ordinary of the diocese His name is found in the archives of the Propaganda at Rome See Abbey of Moyne Francis Kirwan bishop of Killala was a native of Galway and was born in 1589 His parents were Mathew Kirwan and Juliana Lynch both of whom were descended of the most distinguished families of this city While a boy Francis was placed under the tuition of his maternal uncle Arthur Lynch a venerable priest who devoted fifty years of his life in administering the consolations of religion to the people of Galway Having received the first rudiments of education in Ireland he proceeded to Lisbon where he studied in the higher classes and returning thence to his own country he was ordained priest by David Kearney archbishop of Cashel in the year 1614 In the following year he repaired to France to acquire a greater amount of knowledge and having joined the congregation of the Oratory he taught philosophy at Dieppe in the year 1618 Francis was appointed vicar general of Tuam by the illustrious Florence Conry who was at this time promoted to that see Francis having reached Ireland in 1620 began the visitation of the diocese which he performed on foot everywhere eradicating vice and instructing

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ing the people in the knowledge of virtue Francis Kirwan was a distinguished preacher and employed able and efficient cooperators in instructing the people who were entrusted to his care The candidates for holy orders he did not permit to be invested with the sacred character until they had spent a year in his own society The Pope appointed Francis abbot in commendam of the abbey of Knockmoy in him orphans found a father and the poor and indigent a protector The illustrious archbishop of Tuam having died in the year 1629 Francis ceased to be vicar general His friends at Rome were anxious to have him promoted to the see of Tuam and those at home were prepared to defray all the necessary expenses but Francis shrunk from the responsibility Malachy O Queely succeeded to the vacant see and appreciating the valuable services of Francis appointed him also his vicar general Francis set his heart on training a band of young men to be brought up for the benefit of the missions Having selected those he resolved to repair to France to procure them instruction and having journeyed to Dover he refused to affirm on oath the supremacy of the king and thereon returned to London with the hope of procuring an exemption for the Catholics from this oath but his exertion proved unsuccessful whereupon he sailed from Dover and arrived safely at Dieppe in France Soon after he proceeded from Caen in Normandy to Paris where he became acquainted with St Vincent de Paul Geoffry and the Baron de Renty The Archbishop Malachy constantly impressed on Francis the propriety of his receiving consecration and urged Edmond O Dwyer then his agent at Rome to entreat of his holiness to confer the see of Killala on Francis without delay and Boetius Egan the learned and pious bishop of Elphin likewise strove to have the bishopric of Killala conferred on him At length lest he should resist the divine will by his perseverance in refusing Francis assented to his promotion and was consecrated on Sunday the 7th of May 1645 in the church of St Lazarus at Paris and on this solemn occasion thirteen bishops fifteen abbots and thirty doctors of the Sorbonne were present Having collected a considerable supply of books and apparel for the altar which he intended for his native land and having put them on shipboard he embarked in another vessel and reached the shores of Ireland in safety but they were lost as the ship was plundered by pirates While ho staid at Kilkenny he was warmly received by the supreme council and became intimate with Rinuccini archbishop and prince of

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Fermo and nuncio extraordinary from the court of Rome to the Irish people From Kilkenny he proceeded to Galway and soon after to his diocese which was then harassed and wasted by the hostile movements of the confederates and the Puritan rebels He took possession of his see on the 5th of November 1646 He was elected to the supreme council and on his journeys to Kilkenny and Waterford to attend the assemblies of the kingdom he was wont to tarry with the Marquis of Clanrickard who though a Catholic was appointed Lord Lieutenant by the king when his affairs were becoming desperate when a present of two hundred golden coins was offered by the marchioness he declined and forbade his chaplain to accept them When the cessation was agreed upon with Inchiquin Francis adopted the party of the supreme council but when he found that there were articles prejudicial to the Catholic religion he was heard in the years 1650 and 1651 to reprobate his former opinion He afterwards sought and obtained absolution from the censure at the hands of James Fallon vicar apostolic of Achonry who was empowered by the nuncio to absolve all whd applied and again when in exile he on bended knees implored the absolution of Robert Barry bishop of Cork who also held a similar faculty and who absolved him for the greater caution sake In 1649 Francis again returned to his diocese and labored ardently for three years in performing his episcopal functions To those who were expelled their homes he gave the shelter of his own house and to some nuns who were almost destitute he appropriated a portion of his own revenues Francis was a man of meekness and patience A certain friar of the diocese preached a sermon at which the bishop was present the friar coolly launched into imprecations against Francis but instead of exhibiting any signs of displeasure during its delivery he sent for the preacher and for his brotherhood and calmly convinced them with indisputable documents of the magnitude of the injury His cathedral was at this time crumbling and in order to repair it he collected a vast mass of materials and moreover caused the area of the episcopal residence to be closed in with a wall While Francis was intent on these good works the hostile army marched into the province laying it waste with fire and sword and on the 8th of July 1651 laid siege to Galway Francis hoping that the Catholics might be able to raise the siege and drive out the Puritans ordered his chaplain to precede him wit the cross and all over his diocese entreated the people to do battle for their king their country and their creed Moyne and Meelick are said to have been the theatre of a bloody conflict with the

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Puritans On the second day the Puritans were defeated at the castle of Meelick with great slaughter hardly one of them escaped being drowned in the waters of the lakes which then surrounded the castle It was afterwards demolished as well as the castle of Carrickanas iu the parish of Lacken At length on the 12th of April 1652 Galway yielded to the terms of the besiegers terms which were far from being fulfilled in a few months after the whole province passed into the hands of the Crom wellians who becoming the dominant party bestowed the episcopal residence of Killala on Walter Scoavola de Burgo a Catholic who was driven from his inheritance Walter de Burgo permitted Francis to conceal himself in a narrow apartment of the castle in which the bishop and his chaplain were compelled to sleep In this room was also a chest on which the bishop used to celebrate the holy mysteries Here he lay cooped up for eight months in order that he might have the consolation of attending to the wants of his flock A body of troops more ferocious and infuriated against the clergy and their protectors as the dismantled edifices of the diocese strongly attest were marched into this territory and Francisjdreading to be instrumental in bringing ruin on his friend de Burgo retired of necessity from his perilous situation He was on this painful occasion surrounded by his priests and people who like those of Miletus at the departure of St Paul wept bitterly as he directed his steps towards Galway There ho expected to find an asylum but he labored under a mistake as the terms of the treaty were shamefully violated On his journey thither he narrowly escaped falling into the hands of some troopers who suddenly issued out from their garrison He however reached Galway in disguise and by his vigilance and precaution avoided for some time the pursuit of the soldiers Weary of fatigue and prostrate in sickness which suffering and privation brought on he was advised to surrender himself to the governor of Galway Having recovered from his illness contrary to expectation he and John de Burgo and other ecclesiastics who were scattered through the country being summoned by the governor surrendered themselves and were driven into custody at Galway all of whom were treated as galley slaves marched in bodies and surrounded with soldiers Many more were soon added to the number already in custody and by a wise regulation of the caterers they were locked up in houses hired at the cost of the prisoners After fourteen months spent in this manner all of them were suddenly hurried ofl to a ship escorted by spearmen and musketmen without the least notice lest their friends could supply them with means or succour them in their distress After a voyage of four days they dropped anchoi

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at the port of N antes in the August of 1658 Having spent two years in the city of Nantes he retired to Renncs where he died on the 27th of August 1661 and was buried in the church of the Jesuits having been admitted a member of that order before his death In Rennes he enjoyed the care and hospitality of Monsienr de la Potiere and Madame de la Potiere the daughter of Monsieur de Bicqueneuil who enjoined in his will that Francis should have everything necessary for his honorable maintenance during life John Lynch archdeacon of Tuam and the biographer of Francis Kir wan became his successor in the see of Killala in 1670 was a native of Galway and in that city presided over a literary establishment and powerfully contributed to promote the cause of religion He received his ecclesiastical education in France was ordained a secular priest and returned to his native country The severe laws and harsh measures of the Puritan rebels being relaxed and as a just reward for his piety virtues and learning he was promoted to the see of Killala John Lynch was the intimate friend and correspondent of Roderick O Fla herty author of the Ogygia and of the celebrated Dudley Mac Firbis of Leacan According to tradition John Lynch was a man of the greatest benevolence conciliatory manners and of amiable disposition He was particularly distinguished by his humanity and love of country During the troubles of 1641 he disapproved of the violent measures of the warden of Galway Walter Lynch and in 1647 opposed the nuncio Rinuccini who was then in that city While John Lynch conducted the celebrated school of Galway Usher the Protestant primate in accordance with the commission which James I issued to inquire into the state of education in Ireland visited Galway and called Lynch to account We says Usher found at Galway a public schoolmaster John Lynch placed there by the citizens and to whose school great numbers of scholars not only of the province of Connaught but also of the pale and other parts resorted We had proof during our stay in that city how his scholars profited under him by the verses and orations which they brought us Wc sent for the teacher and seriously advised him to conform to the established religion and not prevailing with our advices we enjoined him to forbear teachi ug and I the chancellor of St Patrick's did take recognizance of him and some others of his relations in that city in the sum of 400 sterling to his majesty's use that from henceforth he should forbear teaching any more without the licence of the lord deputy John Lynch in his exile wrote some works which were mostly published at St Maloe's and among them was the life of Francis Kirwan

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But his great work which entitles him to the gratitude of his country was published under the name of Gratianus Lucius It was printed in London and immediately after the impression was struck off the fire of London took place and the greater part of it was consumed The history of Ireland written by Gerald Barry a priest of Wales who came over in the year 1185 as chaplain to King John was and has been declared a collection of slanders and falsehoods against the country and its people To his books Gerald gave the name of Topography of the Island and the Vaticinal history of its conquest By his works he the consecrated one of the sanctuary has left himself open to the imputation of being the hired traducer instead of the faithful historian and to the poison which his works spread over England and the continent of Europe Lynch has offered an antidote by which its virus has been stayed Untaught by the well merited castigation which Gerald deserved other revilers of more modern date phrenzied with malice and hatred towards our country and our creed have brought upon themselves the avenging fire of the sanctuary which Lynch enkindled and which a Magin and a Machale have fed and nourished In his reply Cambrensis eversus published under the feigned name of Gratianus Lucius John Lynch has left to his country a work to which Catholic and Protestant writers refer with confidence and admiration This work is now exceedingly rare and when offered for sale brings the large price of 30 sterling Though it is not exactly a history of Ireland it contains a mass of information relating to the antiquities learning and the arts of the ancient Irish John Lynch we find conducting the school of Galway in 1662 and in 1670 presiding as bishop over the see of Killala The year of his promotion or of his death is not known but we may presume from the dates before us that he lived to a good old age His life of Francis Kirwan was printed in the year 1669 at St Maloe's before his return to his native country We have then a pretty correct idea of the time of his promotion to the episcopal dignity Richard Archdeacon bishop in 1734 Thomas O Rourke in 1742 John Brett consecrated in 1743 and translated to Elphin in 1748 Bonaventure MacDonnell whose name is still remembered by the patriarchal natives of the diocese was consecrated in 1749 From the death of John Lynch the bishops were necessarily absent until Bonaventure succeeded In the interim the archbishop of Tuam or his vicar general administered the affairs of the diocese Mark Skerrett was the bishop in 1750 Philip Philips was the bishop in 1776

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Bishop Irwin about 1790 Dominick Bellew a native of Louth succeeded in 1791 Was on a visit to the Eternal City and obtained the see through the influence of the cardinal duke of York strenuously opposed the veto question Returning to his diocese from the metropolis of Ireland his death was caused by a fall from his carriage near Mullingar He was buried in the abbey of Moyne in a recess under the tower His death took place in 1812 Peter Waldron a native of Tuam and parish priest of Becan in the archdiocese succeeded in 1815 A vacancy of three years occurred and as a contention arose among the native clergy Doctor Waldron was wisely selected by the archbishop of Tuam to fill the vacant chair Peter Waldron was educated in the college of Nantes of which he was a graduate was a prelate of extensive erudition and theological knowledge eminent in every virtue social and religions beloved by his clergy with more than filial affection regarded by all classes as a model of the Christian bishop venerable in appearance and more so in years An accident terminated his valuable life accustomed to wind the clock which was adjacent to his sleeping chamber and in order to reach it obliged to use a chair he was precipitated over the banister of the staircase left by the fall two or three days in a state of insensibility he expired on the 20th of May 1834 in the eighty second year of his age His obsequies were celebrated by his successor clergy and people during three successive days and his remain were deposited in a vault prepared for them under the sacristry of the cathedral He presided worthily and holily more than eighteen years John Machale his coadjutor bishop succeeded obtained his bulls in the month of June following and was translated to the archiepiscopal see of Tuam in the same year Francis Joseph O Finan a Dominican friar and a native of the diocese for he was born in Corimbla a village of the mensal parish of Ballina succeeded his family were an ancient and respectable sept of Tyrawley and are become extinct Though the harmony of the diocese was distracted when Dr Waldron of pious memory assumed the reins of its episcopal government still by his blandness and clemency as well as fortitude he moulded contending elements into concord and good will and this desirable state of things continued during his own life and the short succession of John Machale but the smouldering embers of jealousy and restless ambition were soon after rekindled into active vigor Of the illustrious subject of this memoir little was known to the clergy of Killala When seventeen years of age he repaired to Rome

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to prepare himself for the ecclesiastical state Having completed his studies in the college of St Clement and been promoted to the priesthood Doctor O Finan returned to his native country and for some time officiated at Waterford where he was esteemed and appreciated Having repaired to Lishon he was constituted the superior of the Dominican establishment of Corpo Santo which the Portuguese government had founded for the benefit of the Irish nation Having some time presided over this convent he withdrew to Rome and entered the Dominican college of the Minerva of which he had been rector and assistant to the general of the order While sojourning in the Eternal City and engaged in business I believe of national importance to the church of Ireland Dr Machale met this venerable ecclesiastic whose commanding appearance refined and elegant manners made such an impression on the mind of this shrewd observer that upon the first opportunity he was recommended to the clergy of his native diocese as likely to be not only the ornament of Killala but of the whole Irish church Doctor O Finan was then more than forty years absent from Killala and to few if any of the cjergy his name was barely known It is then certain that his elevation to the chair of Muredach was chiefly owing to the recommendation of the illustrious archbishop of Tuam and perhaps also to a desire on the part of the clergy to exclude a stranger for it was hinted that the archdiocese enjoyed a monopoly in this respect and that the time had arrived in which Killala could and ought to assert its dignity and self respect Such had been the familiar conversation of the agitators who were interested in the event and hence arose the spiritual patriotism by which the candidates as well as the electors were animated It will be recollected that in 1834 the see of Killala became vacant by the translation of John Machale and to provide for the exercise of the necessary authority the archbishop appointed the Rev Bartholomew Costello administrator of Ballina the vicar capitular of the diocese It seems that there had been some doubt in the mind of the archbishop regarding this step as he was tardy in making the appointment On the 12th of Sovember 1834 the day fixed in order to take initiatory steps towards appointing a chief pastor the clergy of the diocese who were competent to share in the proceedings assembled in the cathedral his Grace of Tuam presiding and assisted by Michael Conway PP of Kilphian and Anthony Corcoran PP of Killala as scrutators Doctor O Finan was unanimously chosen as the most worthy Flan nelly of Easkey next in order and Costello vicar capitular as last in the series The number of votes between the latter would have been equal j but Flannelly recorded his own vote in favor of Hart PP of

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Dunfeeny and explained this trifling incident as an artless mistake when the result of the scrutiny became known Be it then observed and kept in mind that not even a solitary vote was given to John Patrick Lyons though he evinced a desire to be put in nomination by the clergy Nor did his unanimous exclusion extinguish in his breast those dazzling aspirations to which he subsequently strove to give reality Well pleased with the events of the day the clergy retired to their respective parishes In the meantime John Lyons PP of Kilmore Erris visited the sister of Doctor O Finan recounted his efforts and his success in securing the election of her brother though in his desire to be nominated as a candidate his dislike to an absent friar was propounded in very unguarded terms Thus was laid the groundwork of that intrigue by which he attained the dignities of dean and vicar general by which he brought trouble and confusion to his own breast and by which he accomplished the ruin of Doctor O Finan and his exile from the land of his birth While Lyons was thus engaged in concerting measures whereby his promotion would be secured the calculations against Dr O Finan were accounted certain because said the interested ones his age being then sixty five unsuited him to a mountainous district such as Killala is and his long seclusion from the world unfitted him for the arduous as well as the active labors of an episcopal life After the lapse of a few weeks it became known that the Holy See ratified the choice of the clergy Doctor O Finan was consecrated in March 1S35 by his Eminence Cardinal Fransoni Prefect of the Sacred Congregation de Propaganda Fide at Rome Though the venerable Doctor O Finan was far advanced in years when promoted to the dignity of bishop it was anticipated that from his long and varied experience in ecclesiastical affair his profound knowledge of canon law and his well tried integrity for he was deemed the most perfect ecclesiastic in Rome the government of his diocese would be attended with results highly satisfactory to religion and morals and assuredly his zeal in dispensing the bread of life his charity ever ardent and unostentatious and his sympathy with the suffering portion of his flock who are ever cherished by the holy pastor and the most dear to their Redeemer gained him the respect and reverence of the community All classes rich as well as those in lowly station whom he charmed and captivated by manners the most refined nay apostolically simple and unpretending still remember Doctor O Finan as the model of the Christian prelate Before leaving the Eternal City a design of reviving the chapter of his diocese and of founding an ecclesiastical seminary in conformity

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with the injunction of the Council of Trent engaged his serious attention To those projects he obtained the sanction of the Supreme Pontiff but circumstances over which Doctor O Finan could not exercise control and which were brought into action immediately on his arrival in the diocese prevented the accomplishment of either As the trials of this life are according to the will of Heaven the test of virtue or the penalty of crime the frustration of those designs must be attributed to the wise dispensations of Providence for rugged and thorny are the paths in which the chosen of God tread The diocese still mourns the want of her chapter and those who love to drink in the fountains of knowledge and literature may deplore the failure of the other for its loss is still sensibly felt and regretted In the bull of the Supreme Pontiff sanctioning and authorizing this literary establishment Doctor O Finan solicitous to confer honor on his native diocese and to stimulate a laudable ambition in the breasts of its alumni in the pursuit of knowledge took care to secure the privilege of granting degrees in both laws a privilege that is still to be sought in foreign countries by the ecclesiastic whose talents entitle him to this mark of distinction and literary fame while the locality of Ballina in which Doctor O Finan would have erected this college is debarred or deprived of the benefit which the collation of this privilege was sure to procure Engaged in maturing his plans for the welfare of religion and his diocese Doctor O Finan by his protracted delay at Rome afforded an ample opportunity of entering on these aggressive measures by which he was ultimately driven from his inheritance During the summer conferences of the clergy it was arranged to resist the payment of a stipend which was not in unison with the provincial statute The episcopal stipend of marriage in Killala was 10s 6d while the standard amount of the province was fixed at 5s 6d The clergy of the diocese the poorest in Ireland considered this as a grievance which ought to bo redressed During the incumbency of Doctor Bellew efforts were made by the enemies of our faith to sever from the fold the poorer members of Christ Hence the bishop and clergy viewing with alarm but without dismay the progress of systematic proselytism resolved to adopt measures whereby this evil would be averted In council assembled it was agreed to allocate the sum of five shillings of the marriage fees in order that Doctor Bellew might be able to found purely Catholic schools in the towns of the diocese This practice was continued during the episcopate of Doctor Waldron Nor was it resisted in that of John Machale though appearances in the ecclesiastical horizon foreboded an approaching storm Hence the source of so much trouble to Doctor

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OTinan and of detriment to religion A meeting of the clergy was convened Rev Mr Harte in the chair in order to adopt some definite plan of action by which this innovation or departure from established usage would bo regulated From this meeting none were absent except Lyons of Kilmore Erris and Costello vicar capitular as it seemed indecorous in the official to participate in its proceedings Nor was he as yet alarmed for the safety of religion as he did not dream of the promotion to which his rival Lyons was aspiring Doctor O Finan warned of this conspiracy as Lyons termed it arrived in his diocese under the impression that his clergy were hostile to him and that strong measures were absolutely necessary to restore a spirit of obedience and subordination to episcopal authority In the month of October 1835 the bishop arrived in Dublin and Lyons having notice of the event hastened thither to greet his ordinary Thither also repaired the vicar capitular who perceived on his arrival that his administration of the diocese was not viewed in that light with which he himself and his admirers regarded it He was also informed that John Lyons was dean as well as vicar general of Killala and assured that he could without delay enjoy the calm and the quiet of his rural parish Humbled as well as incensed at the promotion of Dean Lyons as nothing in the sudden and unexpected elevation of a rival could be viewed but ruin and loss irreparable to religion the vicar capitular hastened to Tuam to make known the result of this interview to the illustrious metropolitan When St Paul announced the glad tidings of redemption to the inhabitants of Ephesus forthwith the votaries of folly and of error are loud in their praises of thegoddess and the silversmiths who could not perceive that in the utensils of the altar a more honorable source of gain and traffic wcnld be opened are the most zealous in sustaining the religion of Diana Similar was the confusion nay greater was the alarm as it arose from selfishness and ambition that artificial tyrant of the human breast by which it upheaves and becomes agitated as the foaming billow of those who censured the promotion of John Lyons Ia this dreadful position of affairs in this alarming uncertainty the safety of religion and discipline must be upheld and while a shadow of authority yet remained the vicar capitular repairs to Ballina and announces to the clergy the changed posture of the diocese and skilfully plays off it is not known whether truly or otherwise the name of the illustrious metropolitan as the adviser of a protest against the qualifications of Lyons Having wrought on the inflammable material before him by dilating on the want of those qualities in Lyons which

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arc necessary in the humblest minister of the altar the agitation proceeded prosperously as a large majority of the clergy concurred in the sentiments of the vicar capitular John Lyons PP of Kilmore Erris was a native of the archdiocese of Tuam and became attached to the see of Killala at the desire of Doctor Waldron who discerned in him talents of a superior order His acts and his manly bearing his hospitality and his efforts in mitigating the periodical distress of his parish gained him friends and admirers and his abilities as a writer well known and appreciated by Lavelle of the Freeman's Journal then tarrying at Rome for the improvement of his health were mainly conducive to the elevation of Lyons Dean Burke the amiable and respected PP of Westport then at Rome arranging some private business was supposed to be another advocate in Lyons cause and to have formed in Dr O Finan's mind an impression which tended to strengthen the bishop in the resolution of constituting Lyons his dean and vicar general It was moreover observed that opposition to the archbishop of Tuam might have dictated such advocacy as Lyons was not in good odour with his grace To have imputed such an unworthy motive to Dean Burke in the absence of positive information was improper and unjust Such however were the surmises current in Killala as certain Dean Burke assured the writer of these observations that he never conversed with Doctor O Finan till they met in the French capital Lyons was then dean Be this interference as it may the appointment of Lyons was we believe reluctantly obtained from the Pontiff as he was averse to any such step being taken until Doctor O Finan could by personal observation pronounce on the relative merits of his clergy But the bishop of Killala satisfied with the reports of the worth and talents of Lyons urged on the Holy Father through Cardinal Gregorio then penitentiary the rectitude of an appointment premature indeed and unfortunate as it exiled the venerable prelate from the chair of his native diocese The Rev Mr Flannelly of Easkey was assuredly adverse to the movement of Costello and his adherents until the remonstrance of the vicar capitular reminded him of the insult to both which the promotion of Lyons conveyed The protest to which allusion has been already made was then prepared as an affair to unsettle the pretensions of the newly created dean and the marriage fee which the clergy viewed as a grievance was remonstrated against as a sort of diversion for Doctor O Finan With regard to the confederates in this contest they were conscientiously impressed that danger might accrue to religion in the appointment

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ment of Lyons and that their rights were not respected in the continuation of the excessive banns money Thus it is that those admirable proficients in mischief Flannelly and Costello under the mask of zeal for the religion of the diocese carried on a crusade utterly subversive of the object it contemplated to effect artfully keeping before the eyes of the clergy the overthrow of Lyons as necessary to promote so desirable a consummation and thereby remove the grand obstacle in the way of their own selfishness and aggrandizement The fine order the discipline and the harmony which Dr Waldron had the happiness of introducing and to which the illustrious John Machale gave testimony in his farewell address to the clergy was interrupted and thrown into unspeakable confusion Let the fault rest where it may a worse state of things coxild not possibly happen under the government of Doctor O Finan and Lyons as religion mourns under his successor and the successful rivals of his dean John Lyons The decay of religion has been since patent to the most careless observer for authority could not be wielded with the bracing vigor which the force of example imparts The favorite virtue of even Pagan Italy has been scoffed at the existence of that bright jewel in the minister of the altar treated as romance and though the public thoroughfares reechoed the scathing denunciations that were directed against the beam that shot forth scandal from the eye of religion still it was not plucked out until the vengeance of the Roman see was demanded The resistance then to the dignities conferred on Dean Lyons as the rival of his opponents and far far their superior in acquirements inust have been based in the leaven of ambition and hypocrisy that homage which vice pays to virtue in order that lurking passion for preferment might be the more securely concealed Under the regime which was established on the downfall of Doctor O Finan and Lyons the children of Killala could only like the prophet Jeremy bewail the desolation of their beloved diocese her fair face was sadly disfigured her lofty hills the green and lovely vallies the holy islands trodden and the venerable ruins inhabited and sanctified by the steps of her saints and solitaries may weep over the calamity that has befallen the land of their labors and the ancient homesteads of ancient piety and devotion Under this regime vice was enthroned and virtue trampled in the dust In 1847 Rome was held forth as the terror of tyrants as the scourge of delinquents In 1848 formal notice was given that the affairs of Killala would be laid before the sovereign judge of the

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I church and again in 1S49 the seven hilled city was pointed out in the vista and yet the vigilance of authority so signally abused was more intent on its own preservation than on the safety of religion and morals for every effort that could stifle the expression of censure and nip in the bud the inchoate shoots of disaffection or of disinterestedness in the sacred cause of religion was recurred to in order that an administration which in its very infancy earned the scorn and the contempt of the public might be at least externally supported and respected The arrival of the venerable Doctor O Finan was hourly expected and in order to greet him on his safety as well as his promotion to the episcopacy many of the clergy remained in Ballina till the close of the week About the middle of October he reached Ardnaree accompanied by John Lyons a few of the clergy being presented the writer of these pages among the first The news of his safe arrival quickly spread over the diocese and on the following Tuesday having reached two or three days before the clergy collected from all quarters in order to meet their bishop and obtain confirmation of the jurisdiction necessary to each one in the discharge of his sacred functions After the usual salutations the Rov Patrick Flannelly PP of Easky who was on this occasion constituted the exponent of the feelings of the clergy with a firmness not always characteristic of him acquitted himself in a manner that gave satisfaction to those whose censure and dissatisfaction he had so energetically expressed The protest was read in which were enumerated the charges against Lyons they were five in number and impeached him with avarice contention with his parishioners an irascibility of temper that unsuited him to govern others exaction unwarranted by the provincial statutes and neglect in complying with an obligation which he voluntarily undertook of supporting a priest who was worn out with age and infirmity While these things were being unfolded the prelate listened with attention and restrained the impetuous temper of the dean but at the conclusion of the protest pronounced it as a calumny the clergy as levellers and destructives ignorant of canon law negligent of discipline and order and adding that rebellion to authority engendered evils and scandals a hundred fold Words such as these were not of peace but they were full of prophetic import and assuredly the long and varied experience of Doctor O Finan in ecclesiastical affairs taught him that insubordination becomes disastrous to religion and discipline however he intimated his intention of issuing citations within a month in order to give them an opportunity of proving the charges which they alleged against the dean As the least delay might produce wavering in the counsels of the

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clergy and dimmution in their ranks the leaders forthwith adjourned to the hotel to consider the propriety of ulterior measures whereupon the prosecution of this affair was resolved on and an appeal was forwarded to the archbishop of Tuam An unwise threat of invalidating the collations which Dr Machale had granted before his departure to Tuam strengthened the views of the leaders This imprudent disclosure then which Lyons deemed sufficient to shake the firmness of those whom it might affect was singularly effective in cementing the league against himself for if such a threat could be successfully tried the ranks of the appellants would be thinned and the illustrious archbishop of Tuam would be placed in the condition of defendant as he should maintain the validity of his own acts John Barrett of Crossmolina who was considered one of the most determined opponents of Lyons was the first against whom the hostility of the dean was directed He was the administrator of this parish during the coadjutorship of Dr Machale and as it was the mensal one of the bishop of Maronia it was matter of doubt whether the validity of its collation could be maintained Hence it was that John Barrett was not secured in the possession of Crossmolina An application made soon after to the court of Rome by the archbishop of Tuam for authority to collate the Rev John Barrett to this parish was rejected as it would interfere with the rights of Doctor OTinan who had at this time been consecrated The fiery disposition of Lyons prompted him to adopt that aggressive policy by which the diocese was thrown into a ferment Barrett was sent an order to retire to the parish of Lacken on the octave of the Nativity 1836 and the Rev Edward Murray was constituted the parish priest of the more important one of Crossmolina Lyons solicitous of the success of his first movement towards victory proceeded with the new pastor in order to induct him to his future charge Barrett was then in a distant country chapel and before his arrival in the town the people of the parish gave sensible expression of their dislike towards the dignitary as well as the pastor whom he patronized and forcibly drove both from the parish church The move of Lyons was both sinister and ungenerous towards Barrett and by this hasty step with which he intended to defeat opposition if any to his measures accelerated the resentment of the parishioners as on Barrett's arrival the town presented a scene of indescribable tumult and confusion Barrett would have proceeded to Lacken in the meantime would have appealed for Crossmolina to the court of Rome and thus would have

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been avoided the injury to religion which continued during three successive years Lyons wrote to Barrett as vicar general ordering him to appear that he might allay the fury of the people and by his influence over them calm their agitated feelings but Barrett paid no attention to his instructions Having now evoked a storm which he could not subdue John Lyons returned to Ballina not at all pleased with his adventure It is but justice to the memory of Barrett to observe that he had no participation whatever in this tumult as he was afterwards before the apostolical delegate fully acquitted of either connivance or passiveness in resisting it The Rev Edward Murray was not permitted by the people now more infuriated by the suspension of Barrett on the plea of disobedience and participation in the tumult to enter the precmcts of the parish Barrett having been thus precluded from the administration of Lacken to which he was appointed appealed to the holy see for the removal of the censure and for his restoration to the parish of Crossmolina Other changes took place which caused murmur and dissatisfaction among the laity as they saw clergymen removed to inferior stations in the meantime Lyons left nothing undone to withdraw some of the clergy from the coalition but without success His adherents were altogether of that stamp remarkable in their attention and support of those who are vested with authority to confer place and patronage During some weeks of gloom and uncertainty in the minds of the appellants and of dismay and fear on the part of Lyons his removal from the functions of vicar general was determined on at Rome and the fiat of its judgment was made known to the venerable Doctor O Finan on the 31st of March 1836 Though known to the appellants the prelate did not disclose the fact as he was still intent on maintaining the propriety of the appointment Lyons however continued to administer the affairs of Doctor O Finan until arrangements for his journey to Rome were fully completed He set out as if on a journey to the capital of Ireland in order to procure the means of sustenance for his parishioners who were then suffering from the effects of recurring distress to which this dreary spot of the island is exposed by the fury of the Atlantic blasts Strict as was the silence of his movements his astute opponents were not deceived as to the real object of his journey Forthwith letters were despatched to his Eminence Cardinal Fransoni that he might be prepared with that wariness with which it was necessary to meet a man of undoubted ability and talent such as Lyons assuredly was Having reached the Eternal City Lyons could accomplish nothing

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important as Cardinal Fransoni was inflexible the decision of his unfitness to continue as Vicar general being final A petition presented by him to the Sacred Congregation was equally unsuccessful as Cardinal Weld whom Doctor O Finan regarded as his sincerest friend would not assent to support its prayer Plainly perceiving that his restoration to the authority which he was forced to abdicate was impossible he procured an appointment as censor morum and also his nomination of doctor of divinity It may excite surprise that to such an important office as censor of the province he had been promoted but at this stage of the proceedings his own morals were hot impeached In the month of June following the illustrious archbishop of Tuam made known to the Rev John Barrett that his suspension was invalid and contrary to the canons He immediately had an interview with Doctor O Finan who replied th at he was not bound to make known his Roman commands Though a request on the part of the Holy See is tantamount to an order Doctor O Finan resisted its desire in this instance and as such conduct was deemed at variance with his fidelity to Rome this act alienated from him the support of some of the clergy Doctor O Finan at this time collated Messieurs Duffy and Hopkins to the parishes of Castleconner and Ardagh the former in the deanery of Tyrcragh and the latter in Tirawley and constituted the Rev Thomas Walsh secretary and chancellor of the diocese In a few days after Dr O Finan was informed that an investigation was necessary through which correct information could be procured before the Congregation of the Propaganda could pronounce definitively on this important controversy and that the primate of all Ireland William Crolly and the archbishop of Tuam John Machale were appointed the delegates of the Holy See This communication was not calculated to inspire Doctor O Finan with confidence in its result as a little before he expressed his fears of such a step being taken by the Court of Rome He was well aware of the practice of the Holy See in affairs of this kind having been afforded an opportunity of exerting his valuable services to the church with a devotedness and zeal which procured him the respect and esteem of the cardinals and prelates of the various congregations while he was the confidential agent of Doctor Milner celebrated for his stern and uncompromising advocacy of the Catholic cause The courteous demeanor of Dr O Finan to even the most lowly of his flock could not escape the censure of those who were intent on his overthrow An abandoned female recollecting for a moment the respect due to the sacred person of the prelate and awed perhaps by the venerableness of his advanced years and sanctified appearance threw

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herself on bended knees to obtain his benediction The simple and apostolic prelate not wishing to repel the humblest of his flock and unwilling like unto the Redeemer to condemn another Magdalene returned her salute and imparted the episcopal benediction Little did the prelate suspect that he was thus affording an opponent the opportunity of impugning his motives that he was supplying the material of an epistle to Rome which the writer thereof deemed creditable to his own zeal while inflicting a blow on the aged prelate Could the Sacred Congregation of the Propaganda for a moment entertain such a heinous opinion as was that of Costello regarding Doctor O Finan that in imparting his benediction to an unfortunate female his object was one which would be particularly criminal in his advanced age in him whose life and training under the very eye of Rome gained him the reputation of perfection and sanctity His long seclusion from the world and a life spent in the cloister could not protect him from the vile malignity of a priest who was under the pressure of circumstances constituted the vicar capitular of the diocese in its widowhood In this pilgrimage of life as there is no Jacob without an Esau no David without a Semei no Redeemer without Scribes and Pharisees there has been no O Finan without a Costello to misrepresent even an act of religion According to arrangement the joint visitors of the diocese met in the cathedral at Ardnaree on the 22d of August 1836 Doctor Denvir bishop of Down and Connor acting as secretary As Lyons was still at Rome and besides the most prominent character of the cause it was mutually agreed to postpone the proceedings for two months in order to give him time to return and to remove as far as possible any suspicion of partiality or advantage to either party It is also important to observe that Lyons had information of this inquiry to be held on the charges of the protest as Cardinal Fransoni distinctly referred him to it Doctor O Finan also undertook to give him notice of this inquiry His absence then must have been the result of design and his subsequent complaints on this head must be viewed as factious and ill founded The day fixed for the resumption of business having arrived Dr O Finan assumed the defence of the dean admitting that his absence could not be justified Indeed to postpone the investigation one moment longer would be protracting the evils of the diocese and putting off the remedy that was every day more and more necessary to calm the irritation that prevailed During this interval of two months the leaders of the opposition were actively employed in procuring evidence against Lyons Wiles caresses promises were lavished on those who could supply it nay a

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written instrument promising indemnity to every one who would suffer in this glorious cause was producible as a guarantee of their sincerity and flying about in every direction as the swallows whose nests are imperiled by the clefts in the tottering fabric the defeat of O Finan once secured comfort and happiness would be the lot of those who would aid in the noble deed Their friendship and patronage promised to be as enduring as their lives but it became in the time of victory similar to that of the bee to the flower until it extracts the sweetest juice or to that of the vine to the stately elm to obtain a loftier height Basking in the sunshine of success they have diverted themselves and played the part of those who during the oppressive heat of summer repose under the shade of the beech tree but who on the approach of winter apply the axe and shiver it to pieces It is true that in the onset Rev John Barrett who in his own person bore the heat of the contest received some recompense for the loss of his parish but at a more advanced period of those proceedings when fiscal distress embittered his sorrows the leaders of the opposition could not be induced to rescue him from difficulty To the Rev Anthony Corcoran parish priest of Killala the merit of this generous act of sympathy is solely due for his purse and residence were ever at the disposal of the distressed and indigent particularly the afflicted minister of the altar Having fully entered into the merits of the protest the archbishops adjourned to Crossmolina in order to give the people there an opportunity of accounting for the extraordinary confusion already alluded to and of exculpating John Barrett from any share in the tumult Here the proceedings were interrupted by a formal protest on the part of Doctor O Finan directed against the primate as a partizan and as disposed to prejudge the whole case though there was no just ground for the assumption for throughout this lengthened enquiry the primate evinced a desire to know the truth and bearing of the case and his patience and fatigue from dreary winter journeys through the most mountainous region of Ireland won the admiration of the clergy the primate deferred to this remonstrance until new instructions were received from Rome which gave Lyons the benefit of being present when the proceedings were resumed in January 1837 After the annual meeting of the prelates in the metropolis the apostolic delegates reinvested with authority from Rome to continue the enquiry and bring it to a close with all possible despatch arrived in Ballina Doctor O Finan laboring under illness was unable to attend Dean Lyons was his representative he insisted on a reopening of the evidence described the proceedings as partial that hearsay

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was admitted as testimony and assertion as proof In this his first mterview with the primate impressions by no means favorable to the dean were made on the mind of the delegate apostolic As the protest of Dr O Finan debarred Barrett from a full and entire vindication of his conduct this part of the enquiry was reopened as any participation in the tumult would enable the bishop to disqualify him for the parish of Crossmolina and consequently vitiate the appeal which Barrett was prosecuting As Barrett's case became the cardinal point of the controversy no effort was left untried however base or vile to mar his prospects nay damage his reputation but the venerable Francis Joseph O Finan had no knowledge of the plot on the contrary the spirit of charity which ever emanated from his lips and which inspired his actions would recoil from such a deed A mass of evidence being procured and deemed sufficient to convince the most dispassionate that the charges of the protest were well founded the apostolic delegates departed leaving priests and people in a ferment As already seen Doctor O Finan before his wearied limbs could have enjoyed a little repose after an October journey discovered that the dignity to which ho had been promoted would be one requiring the practice of patience and resignation The local prints were at once employed by his subtle adversaries venting the bitterest effusions against Lyons and acrimoniously impugning the acts of the prelate and those of the clergy who were disposed to be calm spectators of the conflict rather than distnrb that peace of mind and tranquillity so desirable in the discharge of sacerdotal functions Though Lyons was disposed to engage his pen in his own defence and in that of his prelate Doctor O Finan invariably withheld his assent Every act of his was criticized his motives were impugned his life was declared a series of omissions not only against the present welfare but the future of religion and was particularly inculpated with neglect in not providing candidates for the missions though he had sent one of his subjects the Rev James MacDonagh DD to the college of the Propaganda and others whom he called his first born in due season to the royal college of Maynooth Because unnoticed by the Bishop or Dean Lyons these publications became every day more offensive and libellous One in particular is worthy of notice as it became the subject of a civil prosecution against the honorable proprietor of the Telegraph newspaper The author assumed the name of Alladensis and time has disclosed him to be Patrick Flannelly PP of Easkey On the morning of its publication general as was the voice of the people against the ecclesiastical government of the diocese a feeling of indignation against the writer and of

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sympathy with Dr O Finan pervaded them Several of the parishioners of Ballina had an immediate interview with the prelate whose feelings were unmercifully lacerated and urged upon him the necessity of recurring to an action at law As yet adverse to such a step and undecided in deference to the advice of some of his clergy and parishioners instructions were given a solicitor to proceed against the proprietor of the journal in which the libel was published Sligo jurors were those selected as most likely to award important damages In the spring assizes of 1837 this important case was tried before Judge Perryn by a special jury As soon as the list of jurors was returned the Rev Bartholomew Costello waited on some of them with whom he had been acquainted and on whom influence by others could be exercised in order to impress on their minds opinions unfavorable to the cause of Dr O Finan Sir James Crofton now dead who arrived too late for the trial Captain Moore of Templeboy now also dead Samuel Barrett of Knocknarey and Bernard Fury whose property is in the parish of Skreene and of which Costello was then pastor were those of the jurors who he thought were likely to be predisposed either through motives of friendship towards himself or to others of his relatives in the cause of which they would be sworn to form an unbiased and impartial judgment The Rev P Flannelly declared himself as the author of the publication Though its consequences were foreseen Cavendish inserted it in his journal but the author promised an indemnity in case of legal proceedings An utter disregard to his engagement has thrown the whole weight of the burden on the journalist who confided in his promise or compact The primate of all Ireland the archbishop of Tuam the bishop of Elphin and Catholic jurors of Sligo and Roscommon before the trial had an interview with Dr O Finan urging on him the propriety of abandoning the proceedings but without success The clergy of the diocese being cited to Sligo the parishes were left without the celebration of the divine mysteries on the Sunday intervening an incident rendered available against Dr O Finan though it happened contrary to his intention and had been a manoeuvre of his adversaries The trial occupied the greater part of the week and damages to the amount of 500 sterling were obtained against the publisher Doctor O Finan at a later period generously remitted the damages as such were not his object in instituting proceedings It is to be hoped that in future proprietors of journals will acquire a profitable lesson by the experience of Cavendish ere they publish effusions which religion could not dictate as in this instance between Dr O Finan and Iris clergy The leader of the opposition as Flannelly assuredly was and the

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prominent asserter of the rights of the clergy it may he matter of surprise why an effort was not made to liberate Cavendish from the embarrassing position in which the cause of the diocese placed him The clergy did not sanction or even know the author of this epistle It was merely an adventure which was prompted by a desire to injure the prelate with his flock It was an admirable specimen of composition and of talent with which the writer is gifted It was moreover contrary to the forms by which ecclesiastical controversies are regulated and it was even by the judge on the bench reprobated as derogatory to the character of the priest who wrote and to the dignity of Rome the tribunal to which the cause had been referred Against the venerable prelate the current of opinion ran high because he persisted in going to trial contrary to the remonstrance of the primate and the archbishop of Tuam and the other members of the deputation As ere this the reports of the apostolical delegates had reached the authorities at Rome the affairs of Doctor O Finan were hastening to a crisis His recall to Rome was determined on and in the May of 1837 letters arrived from Cardinal Fransoni the prefect of the Propaganda in which he was advised to hasten towards the Eternal City as nothing could be done there in his absence Immediately preparations for his journey were made in obedience to the voice of the Supreme Pontiff After a lengthened stay in the Eternal City he gave his assent to resign his charge of a diocese over which he could not preside with advantage to religion or peace and calm to his own mind A little before his departure positive instructions had arrived relative to the suspension which was unjustly inflicted on the Rev John Barrett and forthwith the prelate gave him notice that his unmerited punishment had ceased The letter on this occasion bespoke a reluctance on the part of Dr O Finan which was utterly at variance with that grace and pleasure which should ever accompany an act of mercy or of justice Barrett did not long survive to enjoy a victory so dearly purchased as an untimely death with which it pleased Providence to remove him from the conflict left his antagonist sole possessor of the field Free and familiar sincere in friendship of very distinguished talent at Maynooth zealous of God's glory and the beauty of religion kind and attentive to his curates hospitable to all in Barrett Killala deplores the loss of an excellent priest and patriot Doctor O Finan having resigned the archbishop of Dublin was constituted apostolical administrator of Killala and in him was also vested authority to provide for the vacant see The apostolical administrator of Killala in his letter to the Rev Patrick Gildea the vicar general

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liberating him froni the responsibilty of office observed that he had no reason to regret once more entering on a less arduous sphere of action as the affairs of Killala did not promise either ease or comfort to its future chief pastor As the nomination of a chief pastor was not left to the clergy of the diocese because of the disorder prevailing among themselves the archbishop and bishops of the province met to recommend the choice of a successor to the Holy See It is certain that the Rev Martin Loftus PP of Dunmore and the representative of his Grace of Tuam at the Court of Rome while the merits of the national system of education for the children of Ireland were submitted to the judgment of the Sovereign Pontiff was the favorite candidate of the archbishop Dean Durkan of Achonry and Thomas Feeny the PP of Kiltolla in the archdiocese were the other candidates The choice being made by ballot Feeny was declared the object of their selection and Doctor Murray the apostolical administrator having sanctioned the proceedings he repaired to Ballina in order to enter on the administration of the diocese Doctor Feeny was utterly unknown to the clergy and his appearance amongst them was regarded as a well merited censure on that disastrous litigation through which the rightful heir was driven from his inheritance by the unthinking children of Killala and which his promotion was as if destined to heal or to terminate His succession to the chair of Doctor O Finan was well nigh combated with success by Dean Lyons who with just fears on his mind for the safety of himself and friends among the clergy hastened to forward a remonstrance to the Court of Rome A delay of nine months took place before the bulls for his consecration were dispatched to the archbishop of Tuam A life hitherto chequered and untempered with prudence and impelled by an unbounded confidence in his own abilities was not capable of resisting long the shocks of those contests into which ambition and the thirst for preferment had hurried him Dean Lyons weary of that life which was it must be admitted of essential service to his flock in periods of distress and the loss of which was so sensibly felt during the awful privations of the late famine seized by illness which had been neglected in its onset departed this life in March 1845 His fervent appeal to a crucified Redeemer it is to be hoped has not been unheard at the bar of justice and of mercy Had he shown the humility of his dying moments when dazzling prospects of grandeur and dignity are forgotten in the awfully important affair of eternity through his boisterous and troubled life had he endeavored by a timely and prudent retreat to calm the tempest which he could not control had he thrown oil on the surface of the ruffled waters or held forth the olive branch of

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peace and conciliation the fine order of Killala would have been undisturbed and smooth as the summer sea He would have accomplished a victory the more glorious as it would be the conquest of religion and its maxims By his death however were silenced those prophets of evil who foretold with confidence his defection from our holy faith And would to Heaven that to his tomb were consigned those disorders which his ambitious views brought to light which religion still has to mourn and which have not been corrected by the example of those to whom the helm of Killala had been entrusted It is now time to record the death of the venerable Francis Joseph O Finan Having attained his 77th year and seized by his last illness the rites of the church were administered which he received with the most lively and perfect sentiments of recollection and piety and his death bed was attended by Lord Clifford his long and devoted friend Doctor Mullock the bishop of Newfoundland and by the superiors of the Irish College He departed this life on the 27th of November 1847 Francis Joseph O Finan venerable in your misfortune too late have we known you too late have we loved you The bitterness of the closing years of your life was not alleviated by the sweet and pleasing reflection that your inheritance had been cultivated with that care and tenderness which would have recompensed you for the sacrifice Alas 1 we now know the evil tendency of the untoward event by which your exile has been accomplished and of its unfortunate result to religion and the character of the priesthood Peace to your spirit your meekness charity and piety in life and respect for your memory place on my pen a restraint by which the public scorn is averted from that impiety and profanation which have so well merited the public chastisement While Doctor O Finan was passing over the tedious years of Ms exile from the loved land of his birth letters from the secretary of state to the colonies of Great Britain arrived offering Dr O Finan an annual pension and also the interference of the British government Let those who undertake to criticise Lord Palmerston's diplomacy form an opinion of the motive which originated an offer which if accepted would lead to a schism in the church of Ireland The answer of Dr O Finan will endear him to his country and the order to which he belonged It was worthy of the child of the cloister and of that church which has spurned the yoke of the British government during successive ages His noble and dignified reply to the foreign secretary of state assured him that much as he prized the land of his birth he loved still more his religion and his obedience to the successor of St Peter

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His remains were deposited in the church of the Dominican convent of the Minerva at Rome Thomas Feeny was consecrated on the 13th of October 1839 Succeeded to the diocese of Killala in 1848 Is a native of the diocese of Tuam