ing of his predecessors at Armagh, makes no mention of such a person as Fleming between the names of Mac Caghwell and O'Reilly, of both of whom he speaks in distinct terms.* spe bellion, 5. HUGH O'REILLY, succeeding as aforesaid, occupied the titular H. O'Reilly, primacy at a period when Ireland was rent and wasted with all the FIFTH titu horrors of civil war and in the political turmoils of his day, he was lar primate far from being an inactive spectator of passing events. In the year of Ireland. 1642 he summoned his clergy to a synod in which the war then carried A.D. 1626; on by the Irish was declared lawful and pious. But plunderers and murderers were denounced in terms of execration, such as have been promoted applied by modern agitators to ribbonmen and other like minor the great reculators in civil and political disturbances. + In the month of May, a general synod of all the Roman Catholic A.D. 1642. clergy was assembled at Kilkenny, where numerous acts were so- Titular sylemnly passed. The war, said to be maintained by the Catholics nod of Kilagainst sectaries, and in defence of religion and of the king, was kenny. again declared just and equitable. It was determined that an oath of association should be taken by the confederates, and that all who should reject it, or remain neuter, should be excommunicated. It was decreed also that provincial councils of the clergy and laity, as well as a general national council, should be formed, to which the minor ones were to be subordinate; and that embassies should be sent to foreign potentates to solicit aid. The various acts of the "national" assembly which met at Kil- Appointkenny may be found in the historians of that period. Among other ment of the measures which it adopted, was the appointment of a supreme coun- "Supreme cil of 24 persons, allowing six for each province. Those nominated Council," for Ulster were, Hugh O'Reilly, titular primate, the titular bishop &c. of Down, and four others who were laymen. Nine of the entire number were necessary to compose an efficient council. And by their body sheriffs were to be chosen out of such persons as should be nominated by county councils. All civil magistrates were to have been subordinate to their command; and a guard of 500 foot, and 200 horse was assigned for the protection of the assembly.‡ It seems probable that whatever power Dr. O'Reilly possessed in An agent right of his titular primacy soon became subordinate to that of Peter comes from Scaramp, who appeared at the assembly of Kilkenny as minister of the the pope, pope, from whom he brought letters to the supreme council and to the with ammuprelates, with a supply of money and ammunition, as well as a bull for a nition. See No. XXX. inf. Paul Harris's "Fratres Sobrii estote." Ware's Writers, book i., p. 115. Stuart, pp. 352, 353. + Hib. Dom., cap. 6, p. 109; Leland, ut sup.; Borlase; also p. 489. Leland, 3, 180, seqq. money, Arrival of who is sup ported by Titular O'Reilly. Colgan's AA. SS. de dicated to this prelate. Notice of him in a letter of Bp. Bedell. jubilee; and also a plenary absolution for those who had armed themselves in defence of the Roman Catholic religion.❤ Soon after came that mischief-making firebrand, the pope's nuncio Rinuncini, archbishop of Fermo; under whose fatal influence O'Reilly and the clergy of his persuasion were induced to adopt measures greatly conducive to the overthrow of the king's interest in this kingdom, and the final establishment of the party connected with the usurper Cromwell. Under the guidance of this Rinuncini, they on the 12th of August, 1646, decreed that every member of "the Catholic association" who should adhere to a treaty of peace which had been transmitted to them by the supreme council, should be deemed perjured and excommunicated; a decree which was signed by O'Reilly's proxy and procurator Edmund O'Teig, he himself not having been present in person at the meeting which passed it. His own signature however in the assumed form Hugo Armacanus is annexed to various documents executed about this period by the most active of the Romish leaders. For instance, on the 10th of January, 1646-7, the assembly of Roman Catholics met at Kilkenny and drew up a form of oath of association, by which they swore to maintain faithful allegiance to the king and his successors; to defend the fundamental laws of the kingdom, the free exercise of the Romish religion, and the lives and properties of their associates; to obey the edicts of the supreme council, and not to make or adhere to any peace concluded without the consent of a general assembly, &c. And at the head of the list of ecclesiastics who subscribed this document, the first name that occurs is that of Hugh O'Reilly.‡ It was to this prelate, who appears to have been of the distinguished family of the O'Reilly's, lords of Cavan, that Colgan dedicated his learned work, the Acta Sanctorum Hiberniæ. Previously to his elevation to the titular primacy, he had been titular bishop of Kilmore, his native district. The following notice of him as Romish primate of Ireland occurs in a letter of the excellent bishop Bedell, describing to bishop Laud the state of his diocese, and bearing date April 1, 1630. "A popish clergy, more numerous by far than we, and in full exercise of all jurisdiction ecclesiastical by their vicar general and officials; who are so confident, as they excommunicate those that come to our courts, even in matrimonial causes: which affront hath been offered myself by the popish primate's vicar-general, for which I have begun a process against him. The primate himself lives in my parish, within two miles of my house; the bishop in another part of my diocese, further off."§ Leland, 3, 298. Stuart, p. 354. + Cox, App. 30, pp. 122, 123 § Mant, i. 436. The exact period of H. O'Reilly's death is not known. It is supposed to have occurred in the Co. Cavan, circ. A.D. 1656.* 6. To him succeeded EDMUND O'REILLY, concerning whom we Edmund have but little information supplied to us. He seems to have been of O'Reilly, much the same kind of spirit with his namesake and predecessor; and SIXTH Primuch of his time was spent either abroad or in prison. He was a na- mate of the tive, it appears, of the county of Dublin, and had discharged for some new race. time the pastoral office in that archdiocese; after which he was ap- A.D. 1657. pointed rector of the Irish College in Louvain, about A.D. 1637. În 1640 he returned to his native country, and was received with marks of high esteem by Thomas Fleming, titular archbishop of Dublin, who shortly after appointed him his vicar-general. At Rome also his merits were so highly thought of, that when the titular dignity in the archiepiscopal sec of Armagh became vacant by the death of H. O'Reilly, he was the person selected to fill the office, in order to which he was consecrated at Brussels about A.D. 1657. Shortly after he came into Ireland, and remained there until A.D. 1662. This titular archbishop stands accused of having endeavoured to Various excite in parliament an interest for the Ulster Irish, "because," said acts of treahe, "they never had an affection for the king, nor his family; and as for son attrime, Inever was a friend or well-wisher to any of the four," meaning of the buted to king, the Dukes of York and Gloucester, and the Marquis of Ormond. him. He had been charged also with having, at a former period, carried on a treasonable correspondence with the Earl of Tyrone and others in Flanders, concerning an intended invasion of Ireland; for which he had been for a short space of time imprisoned in the castle of Dublin. He is said likewise to have issued precepts, commanding the people to pray for the success of Cromwell. Altogether his recorded acts have more connection with politics than with religion.+ It seems however that on the failure of the Romish party, and the His opposimassacre of their clergy by Cromwell's people, he was forced to flee tion to the the kingdom, and take refuge in exile. But after the Restoration, Irish Rehaving solicited, by letter, permission from the king to come back to monstrance, his native land, he was allowed this liberty by the monarch, Charles A.D. 1666; II. without any difficulty: as it was hoped that he would support a recognition of loyalty, the celebrated Irish Remonstrance, which was then expected from the Roman Catholic bishops. The document, which not only expressed strong attachment to the king, but even disclaimed the pope's temporal supremacy, was signed by the titular bishop of Dromore, 54 regulars, 17 seculars, 10 R. Catholic noblemen, * Brennan, ii. 204. IX., p. 90, ib. Stuart, p. 356. Cox, Charles II., p. 54, App. which is followed by his imprisonment. His death, A.D. 1669. O. Plunket, SEVENTH His dealings with P. Talbot, titular abp. of Dublin. Heisaccused of high treason: and many of the gentry. But Ed. O'Reilly, in a synodical meeting of the clergy, A.D. 1666, opposed the adoption of this remonstrance with all his powers. Shortly after, he and all the other R. Catholic bishops in Ireland connected with him, except two that were decrepid and unable to escape, fled from the kingdom. O'Reilly however failed in attempting to make good his escape to the continent; and having been taken prisoner in September, 1666, he was sent to England. In 1670, during the government of Lord Berkeley, the anti-remonstrants were taken into favour. But O'Reilly did not live to witness their triumph, having died in A.D. 1669.* 7. OLIVER PLUNKET was the next titular primate, a prelate whose chief distinction, as will be seen from what follows, was his unfortunate end. He had studied at Rome, and there became D.D., and also public professor of divinity in the College De Propaganda Fide, which had been instituted in A.D. 1621, as an effective instrument for exercising jurisdiction in the affairs of missions and foreign churches. At length, in A.D. 1669, he was promoted by Pope Clement IX. to the title of the archbishopric of Armagh.t In the days of this Plunket, Peter Talbot, the titular archbishop of Dublin, a man of some talent, and of a restless, aspiring disposition, sought to assume a superiority over his primate, as well as to direct the political movements of the Irish Romanists. He had been the means of exciting persecution against those of the clergy who had signed the "remonstrance of their loyalty to the king," and had even denounced them excommunicated. But Archbishop Plunket not only took measures to restrain him in his proceedings, but also reproved him for having the reputation of intermeddling too much in affairs of state, contrary to the canons and orders of the pope." For this Plunket has been described as "a man of loyal principles, who on all occasions expressed his abhorence of political intrigues, and recommended peaceable submission to the government," and he is characterised by bishop Burnet as a "wise and sober man, who was for living quietly and in due submission" to the lawful authorities of the state. Notwithstanding however the character thus given of him, Archbishop Plunket, after he had filled for some years the office of titular primate, was arraigned on a charge of holding a treasonable corres Cox, Charles II. Ware's Writers, p. 195. Hib. Dom., 710. Stuart, p. 357. ↑ Hib. Dom., pp. 130, 499. Ardeskin, Theologia Tripart., Venetis, 1700, p. 227. Stuart, p. 358. Burnet's Hist. of his own Times, vol. i. f. 230. Stuart, pp. 358, 859. Leland, 3, 481. Ware's Writers. 192. pondence with the French court. His accusers were Murphy, titular chanter of Armagh, and certain friars and laymen; some at least of them being, as it seems, anything but very good characters. Twenty thousand Frenchmen, it was stated, were to land at Carlingford, and Dr. Plunket was to join them with 70,000 men. On this charge he he was seized and sent to Newgate on the 6th of December, 1679, and apprehendthence in October, 1680, removed to London. Here the first attempt to convict him failed, the jury refusing to find the bills against him. But additional evidences having heen procured, he was in the end and at pronounced guilty of the crimes alleged to his charge, and sentenced length con to be executed.* ed; victed. The accusations brought against him, as enumerated by himself in Particulars his dying moments, were as follows:of the charge "First," says he, "that I have sent letters by one Neal O'Neal, against him. who was my page, to Monsieur Baldeschi, the pope's secretary; to the bishop of Aix, and Principe Colonna; that they might solicit foreign powers to invade Ireland, and also to have sent letters to Cardinal Bouillon to the same effect. "Secondly, To have employed Captain Con O'Neal to solicit the French king for succour. Thirdly, to have levied and exacted monies from the clergy of Ireland to bring in the French, and to maintain seventy thousand men. Fourthly, to have had in readiness 70,000 men, and lists made of them, and to have given directions to one Friar Duffy, to make a list of two hundred and fifty men in the parish of Foghart, in the county of Louth. "Fifthly, to have surrounded all the forts and harbours of Ireland; and to have fixed upon Carlingford, as a fit harbour for the French landing. Sixthly, to have had several councils and meetings, where there was money allotted for introducing the French. Finally, that there was a meeting in the county of Monaghan, some ten or twelve years past, where there were three hundred gentlemen of three several counties, to wit Monaghan, Cavan, and Armagh; whom I did exhort to take up arms to recover their estates." Plunket's papers and witnesses being in Ireland, five weeks were Unfavouraallowed him by the chief justice, from the date of his arraignment on able position the 3rd of May, for having them transmitted to London. On the day of the acof trial however, they had not arrived, contrary winds and unto- cused on his ward accidents being alleged as the cause of their delay, to which was trial. Carte's Life of Ormond, vol. ii. p. 513. Ware's Writers, p. 199. Burnet's Hist. of his own Times, vol. i. p. 282. Ardeskin, Theolog. Trip, &c. |