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List of priests and laymen killed in Ireland 1565 - 1655
(p. = priest, l.= layman)
Although raised a Catholic, by Catholic parents, from one Protestant and three Catholic grandparents, I no longer practice formal religion. But I feel a little bit guilty when reading what people endured for their religion in the past.
Hanging and quartering (the official sentence for "treason") usually meant that the victim, after hanging, was cut down while still alive, disembowelled, and had his intestines burnt before his eyes. Then, whether the victim was still living or not, each limb was tied to one of four horses, and these were driven in four directions, tearing the man apart. While we learned about some of this at school, it was hard to think about it too much, and it's only when reading a list of actual names that you begin to grasp that these were real people, and that the horror was real.
The state atrocities listed below were carried out mainly by English or Anglo-Irish Protestants on Irish Catholics. Similar state atrocities were carried out by Catholics on Protestants on the continent, while during the many Irish wars and rebellions of that period, Irish Catholics often took an equally horrific revenge.
See also Violence in Ireland
Under Queen Elizabeth
1565: Conacius Macuarta (Conn McCourt) and Roger MacCongaill (McConnell), Franciscans -- flogged to death, Armagh, 16 December, for refusing to acknowledge the queen's supremacy.
1575: John Lochran, Donagh O'Rorke, and Edmund Fitzsimon, Franciscans -- hanged, 21 January, Downpatrick;
1575: Fergall Ward, Franciscan guardian, Armagh -- hanged, 28 April, with his own girdle.
1577: Thomas Courcy, vicar-general at Kinsale -- hanged, 30 March;
1577: William Walsh, Cistercian, Bishop of Meath -- died, 4 January, in exile at Alcalá.
1578: Patrick O'Hely (q.v.), Bishop of Mayo, and Cornelius O'Rorke, p., Franciscans -- tortured and hanged, 22 August, Kilmallock;
1578: David Hurley, dean of Emly -- died in prison;
1578: Thomas Moeran, dean of Cork -- taken in the exercise of his functions and executed.
1579: Thaddæus Daly and his companion, O.S.F. -- hanged, drawn, and quartered at Limerick, 1 January.
1579: Edmund Tanner (q.v.), S.J., Bishop of Cork -- died, 4 June, in prison at Dublin;
1579: John O'Dowd, p., O.S.F. -- refused to reveal a confession, put to death at Elphin by having his skull compressed with a twisted cord;
1579: Thomas O'Herlahy (q.v.), Bishop of Ross.
1580: Edmund MacDonnell (q.v.), p., S.J. -- 16 March, Cork (but the year should be 1575 and the name perhaps O'Donnell);
1580: Laurence O'Moore, p., Oliver Plunkett, gentleman, and William Walsh or Willick, an Englishman -- tortured and hanged, 11 November, after the surrender of Dun-an-oir in Kerry;
1580: Daniel O'Neilan p., O.S.F. -- fastened round the waist with a rope and thrown with weights tied to his feet from one of town-gates at Youghal, finally fastened to a mill-wheel and torn to pieces, 28 March. He is obviously the person whom Mooney commemorates under the name O'Duillian, assigning the date, 22 April, 1569, from hearsay;
1580: Daniel Hanrichan, Maurice O'Scanlan, and Philip O'Shee (O'Lee), priests, O.S.F. -- beaten with sticks and slain, 6 April, before the altar of Lislachtin monastery, Co. Kerry;
1580: the prior at the Cistercian monastery of Graeg, and his companions. Murphy, quoting O'Sullevan, says the monastery was Graiguenamanagh; O'Sullevan names the place Seripons, Jerpoint.
1581: Nicholas Nugent, chief justice, David Sutton, John Sutton, Thomas Eustace, John Eustace, William Wogan, Robert Sherlock, John Clinch, Thomas Netherfield, or Netterville, Robert Fitzgerald, gentleman of the Pale, and Walter Lakin (Layrmus) -- executed on a charge of complicity in rebellion with Lord Baltinglass;
1581: Matthew Lamport, described as a parish priest (pastor) of Dublin Diocese, but more probably a baker (pistor) of Wexford -- executed for harbouring Baltinglass and Father Rochford, S.J.
1581: Robert Meyler, Edward Cheevers, John O'Lahy, and Patrick Canavan, sailors of Wexford -- hanged, drawn, and quartered, 5 July, for conveying priests, a Jesuit, and laymen out of Ireland;
1581: Patrick Hayes, shipowner of Wexford, charged with aiding bishops, priests, and others -- died in prison;
1581: Richard French, p., Ferns Diocese -- died in prison;
1581: Nicholas Fitzgerald, Cistercian -- hanged, drawn, and quartered, September, at Dublin.
1582: Phelim O'Hara and Henry Delahoyde, O.S.F., of Moyne, Co. Mayo -- hanged and quartered, 1 May;
1582: Thaddæus O'Meran, or O'Morachue, O.S.F., guardian of Enniscorthy;
1582: Phelim O'Corra (apparently Phelim O'Hara, above);
1582: Æneas Penny, parish priest of Killatra (Killasser, Co. Mayo) -- slain by soldiers while saying Mass, 4 May;
1582: Roger O'Donnellan, Cahill McGoran, Peter McQuillan, Patrick O'Kenna, James Pillan, priests, and Roger O'Hanlon (more correctly McHenlea, in Curry), lay brother, O.S.F. -- died, 13 February, Dublin Castle, but the date can scarcely be correct for all;
1582: Henry O'Fremlamhaidh (anglicized Frawley);
1582: John Wallis, priest -- died, 20 January, in prison at Worcester;
1582: Donagh O'Reddy, parish priest of Coleraine -- hanged and transfixed with swords, 12 June, at the altar of his church.
1584: Dermot O'Hurley, Archbishop of Cashel;
1584: Gelasius O'Cullenan, O.Cist., Abbot of Boyle, and his companion, variously named Eugene Cronius and Hugh or John Mulcheran (? Eoghan O'Maoilchiarain), either Abbot of Trinity Island, Co. Roscommon, or a secular priest -- hanged, 21 November, at Dublin;
1584: John O'Daly, p., O.S.F. -- trampled to death by cavalry;
1584: Eleanor Birmingham, widow of Bartholomew Ball -- denounced by her son, Walter Ball, Mayor of Dublin, died in prison;
1584: Thaddæus Clancy, 15 September, near Listowel.
1585: Richard Creagh (q.v.), Archbishop of Armagh -- poisoned, 14 October, in the Tower of London. He is included amongst the 242 Prætermissi in the article ENGLISH CONFESSORS AND MARTYRS;
1585: Maurice Kenraghty (q.v.), p.; Patrick O'Connor and Malachy O'Kelly, O.Cist. -- hanged and quartered, 19 May, at Boyle.
1586: Maurice, or Murtagh, O'Brien, Bishop of Emly -- died in prison at Dublin;
Donagh O'Murheely (O'Murthuile, wrongly identified with O'Hurley) and a companion, O.S.F. -- stoned and tortured to death at Muckross, Killarney.
1587: John Cornelius, O.S.F., of Askeaton; another John Cornelius, S.J., surnamed O'Mahony, born in England of Irish parents from Kinelmeky, Co. Cork, is included among the venerabiles of the English list;
1587: Walter Farrell, O.S.F., Askeaton -- hanged with his own girdle.
1588: Dermot O'Mulrony, p., O.S.F., Brother Thomas, and another Franciscan of Galbally, Co. Limerick -- put to death there 21 March;
1588: Maurice Eustace (q.v.), Jesuit novice -- hanged and quartered, 9 June, Dublin;
1588: John O'Molloy, Cornelius O'Dogherty, and Geoffrey Farrell, Franciscan priests -- hanged, drawn, and quartered, 15 December, at Abbeyleix;
1588: Patrick Plunkett, knight -- hanged and quartered, 6 May, Dublin;
1588: Peter Miller, B.D., Diocese of Ferns -- tortured, hanged, and quartered, 4 October, 1588;
1588: Peter (or Patrick) Meyler -- executed at Galway; notwithstanding the different places of martyrdom assigned, these two names may be those of the same person, a native of Wexford executed at Galway;
1588: Patrick O'Brady, O.S.F., prior at Monaghan -- Murphy, on slender grounds, supposes him to be the guardian put to death in 1540, but Copinger and after him Curry, in his "Civil Wars in Ireland", state that six friars were slain in the monastery of Moynihan (Monaghan) under Elizabeth, Thaddæus O'Boyle, guardian of Donegal, slain there, 13 April, by soldiers.
1590: Matthew O'Leyn, p., O.S.F. -- 6 March, Kilcrea;
1590: Christopher Roche, l. -- died, 13 December, under torture, Newgate, London.
1591: Terence Magennis, Magnus O'Fredliney or O'Todhry, Loughlin og Mac O'Cadha (? Mac Eochadha, Keogh), Franciscans of Multifarnham -- died in prison.
1594: Andrew Strich, p., Limerick -- died in Dublin Castle.
1597: John Stephens, p., Dublin province, apparently chaplain to the O'Byrnes of Wicklow -- hanged and quartered, 4 September, for saying Mass;
1597: Walter Fernan, p. -- torn on the rack, 12 March, at Dublin.
1599: George Power, Vicar-General of Ossory -- died in prison.
1600: John Walsh, Vicar-General of Dublin -- died in prison at Chester;
1600: Patrick O'Hea, l. -- charged with harbouring priests, died in prison, 4 December, Dublin--probably the Patrick Hayes of 1581 (supra);
1600: James Dudall (Dowdall) -- died either 20 November or 13 August, Exeter;
1600: Nicholas Young, p., died, Dublin Castle.
1601: Redmond O'Gallagher, Bishop of Derry -- slain by soldiers, 15 March, near Dungiven;
1601: Daniel, or Donagh, O'Mollony, Vicar-General of Killaloe -- died of torture, 24 April, Dublin Castle;
1601: John O'Kelly, p. -- died, 15 May, in prison;
1601: Donagh O'Cronin, clerk -- hanged and disembowelled, Cork;
1601: Bernard Moriarty, dean of Ardagh and Vicar-General of Dublin -- having his thighs broken by soldiers, died in prison, Dublin.
1602: Dominic Collins, lay brother, S.J. -- hanged, drawn, and quartered, 31 October, Youghal.
1602: To this year seems to belong the death of Eugene MacEgan, styled Bishop-designate of Ross, of which he was vicar Apostolic, mortally wounded while officiating in the Catholic army. There was no Catholic army on foot in 1606, at which date his name appears in the official list. He was buried at Timoleague.
The following Dominicans suffered under Elizabeth (1558-1603), but the dates are uncertain: Father MacFerge, prior, and twenty-four friars of Coleraine, thirty-two members of the community of Derry, slain there the same night, two priests and seven novices of Limerick and Kilmallock, assembled in 1602 with forty Benedictine, Cistercian, and other monks, at Scattery Island in the Shannon to be deported under safe conduct in a man-of-war, were cast overboard at sea.
Under James I and Charles I (1604-1648)
1606: Bernard O'Carolan, p. -- executed by martial law, Good Friday;
1606: Eugene O'Gallagher, abbot, and Bernard O'Trevir, prior, of the Cistercians of Assaroe, Ballyshannon -- slain there by soldiers;
1606: Sir John Burke of Brittas, County Limerick -- for rescuing and defending with arms a priest seized by soldiers, executed at Limerick, 20 Dec., 1606. The date is accurately known from contemporary letters printed in Hogan's "Ibernia Ignatiana".
1607: Niall O'Boyle, O.S.F. -- beheaded or hanged, 15 Jan., Co. Tyrone;
1607: John O'Luin, O.P. -- hanged at Derry;
1607: Patrick O'Derry, p., O.S.F. -- hanged, drawn, and quartered at Lifford (but according to Bruodin, 6 January, 1618);
1607: Francis Helam or Helan, p., O.S.F. -- apprehended saying Mass in Drogheda, and imprisoned;
1607: Dermot Bruodin, O.S.F., tortured at Limerick -- released at the intervention of the Earl of Thomond, he died of years and labours at Ennis (9 August, 1617, according to Bruodin).
1608: Donagh (in religion, William) O'Luin, O.P., prior of Derry -- hanged and quartered there.
1610: John Lune, p., Ferns Diocese -- hanged and quartered, 12 November, Dublin.
1612: Cornelius O'Devany (q.v.), O.S.F., Bishop of Down and Connor -- executed with Patrick O'Lochran, p., Cork Diocese, 1 February, Dublin.
1614: William McGillacunny (MacGiolla Coinigh), O.P. -- executed at Coleraine.
1617: Thomas Fitzgerald, p., O.S.F. -- died in prison, 12 July, Dublin.
1618: John Honan, p., O.S.F. -- tortured, hanged, and quartered, 14 October, Dublin.
1621: Francis Tailler, alderman, Dublin -- died a prisoner in the Castle, 30 January;
1621: James Eustace, O.Cist. -- hanged and quartered, 6 September.
1628: Edmund Dungan, Bishop of Down and Connor -- died, 2 November, Dublin Castle.
1631: Paul (Patrick) Fleming, p., O.S.F. -- put to death by heretics, 13 November, at Benesabe, Bohemia, with his companion, Matthew Hore.
1633: Arthur MacGeoghegan, p., O.P. -- hanged, drawn, and quartered, 27 November, Tyburn. v
1639: John Meagh, p., S.J. -- shot, 31 May, by the Swedish army near Guttenberg, Bohemia.v
1641: Peter O'Higgin, O.P., prior at Naas -- hanged, 24 March, Dublin.
1642: Philip Clery, p.;
1642: Hilary Conroy, p., O.S.F. -- but most probably this is the Hilary Conroy, O.S.F., chaplain to Ormond's regiment, hanged at Gowran in 1650 by the Cromwellians;
1642: Fergal Ward, O.S.F., and Cornelius O'Brien -- hanged on board ship in the Shannon, by parliamentarians, October;
1642: Francis O'Mahony, O.S.F., guardian at Cork -- tortured and hanged, regaining consciousness, he was again hanged with his girdle;
1642: Thomas Aquinas of Jesus, p., O.D.C., hanged, 6 July, Drogheda;
1642: Angelus of St. Joseph, O.D.C.; Robert (in religion, Malachy) O'Shiel, p., O.Cist. -- hanged, 4 May, Newry;
1642: Edmund Hore and John Clancy, priests, Waterford Diocese -- put to death, March, at Dungarvan;
1642: Raymund Keogh, p., O.P., Stephen Petit, O.P., prior at Mullingar -- shot while hearing confessions on the battlefield;
1642: Cormac Egan, lay brother, O.P.
1643: Peter of the Mother of God, lay brother, O.D.C.
1644: Cornelius O'Connor and Eugene O'Daly, O.SS.T. -- drowned at sea by a Parliamentarian commander, 11 January;
1644: Christopher Ultan or Donlevy, p., O.S.F., died in Newgate, London.
1645: Hugh MacMahon, l., and Conor Maguire, Baron of Enniskillen -- executed for complicity in the outbreak of the Confederate War;
1645: Henry White, p. -- hanged at Rathconnell, Co. Meath (but before this year, if by Sir C. Coote, as stated);
1645: Edmund Mulligan, p., O.Cist., in July, near Clones, slain by Parliamentarians;
1645: Malachy O'Queely (q.v.), Archbishop of Tuam;
1645: Thaddæus O'Connell, p., O.S.A. -- executed by Parliamentarians after the battle of Sligo;
1645: John Flaverty, p., O.P.
1647: At the storming of the Rock of Cashel by Inchiquin, 15 September, Richard Barry, p., O.P., William Boyton, p., S.J., Richard Butler, p., O.S.F., James Saul, lay brother, O.S.F., Elizabeth Carney, Sister Margaret, a Dominican tertiary, Theobald Stapleton, p., Edward Stapleton, p., Thomas Morrissey and many others, priests and women, were slain in the church.
1648: Gerald FitzGibbon, cleric, and David Fox, lay brother at Kilmallock, Dominic O'Neaghten, lay brother, Roscommon, Peter Costello, p., sub-prior, Straid, Co. Mayo, all Dominicans; Andrew Hickey, p., O.S.F. -- hanged near Adare.
Under the Commonwealth (1649-1659)
1649: Robert Netterville, p., S.J. -- died at Drogheda, 19 June, of a severe beating with sticks;
1649: John Vath, p., S.J., and his brother Thomas, secular priest, Dominic Dillon, O.P., prior at Urlar, Richard Oveton, O.P., prior at Athy, Peter Taaffe, O.S.A., prior at Drogheda -- slain in Drogheda massacre;
1649: Bernard Horumley (? Gormley), p., O.S.F. -- hanged, Drogheda;
1649: Raymund Stafford, p., Paul Synnott, p., John Esmond, p., Peter Stafford, p., Didacus Cheevers and Joseph Rochford, lay brothers, Franciscans -- slain in Wexford massacre;
1649: James O'Reilly, p., O.P. -- slain near Clonmel;
1649: William Lynch, p., O.P. -- hanged.
1650: Boetius Egan, O.S.F., Bishop of Ross, celebrated for exhorting the garrison of Carrigadrehid Castle to maintain their post against Broghill -- dismembered and hanged;
1650: Miler Magrath (Father Michael of the Rosary), p., O.P. -- hanged, Clonmel;
1650: Francis Fitzgerald, p., O.S.F. -- hanged, Cork;
1650: Walter de Wallis, p., O.S.F., and Antony Musæus (? Hussey), p., O.S.F. -- hanged, Mullingar;
1650: John Dormer, O.S.F. -- died in prison, Dublin;
1650: Nicholas Ugan, or Ulagan, O.S.F. -- hanged with his girdle;
1650: Thomas Plunkett and twelve other Franciscans, Eugene O'Teman, O.S.F. -- flogged and cut to pieces by soldiers.
1651: Franciscans: Denis O'Neilan, p., hanged, Inchicronan, Co. Clare; Thaddæus O'Carrighy, p., hanged near Ennis; Hugh McKeon, p., died in prison, Athlone; Roger de Mara (MacNamara), p., shot and hanged, Clare Castle; Daniel Clanchy and Jeremiah O'Nerehiny (Nerny), lay brothers, Quin, hanged; Philip Flasberry, hanged near Dublin; Francis Sullivan, p., shot in a cave, Co. Kerry, December; William Hickey, p., hanged;
1651: Dominicans: Terence Albert O'Brien (q.v.), O.P., Bishop of Emly; John Wolfe, p., hanged, Limerick; John O'Cuilin (Collins), p., beheaded; William O'Connor, prior at Clonmel, beheaded, and Thomas O'Higgin, p., hanged, Clonmel; Bernard O'Ferrall, p., slain, his brother Laurence, p., hanged, Longford; Vincent Gerald Dillon, chaplain to Irish troops in England, died in prison, York; Ambrose Æneas O'Cahill, p., cut to pieces by cavalry, Cork; Donagh Dubh (Black) and James Moran, lay brothers; laymen: Louis O'Farrall, died in prison, Athlone; Charles O'Dowd, hanged; Donagh O'Brien, burned alive; Sir Patrick Purcell, Sir Geoffrey Galway, Thomas Strich, mayor, Dominic Fanning, ex-mayor, Daniel O'Higgin, hanged after surrender of Limerick; Henry O'Neill, Theobald de Burgo.
1652: Secular priests: Roger Ormilius (? Gormley) and Hugh Garrighy -- hanged, Co. Clare;
1652:Cornelius MacCarthy, Co. Kerry;
1652: Bernard Fitzpatrick, Ossory Diocese;
1652: Franciscans hanged: Eugene O'Cahan, guardian at Ennis, Sliabh Luachra, Anthony Broder, deacon, near Tuam, Bonaventure de Burgo, Nielan Locheran, p., Derry.
1652: Anthony O'Ferrall, p., Tulsk, John O'Ferrall; Edmund O'Bern, p., O.P. -- beheaded after torture, Jamestown;
1652: Laymen hanged: Thaddæus O'Connor Sligo, Boyle; John O'Conor Kerry, Tralee; Thaddæus O'Conor of Bealnamelly in Connaught; Bernard McBriody; Edmund Butler, Dublin; Brigid D'Arcy, wife of Florence Fitzpatrick; Conn O'Rorke -- slain after quarter given.
1653: Dominicans: Thaddæus Moriarty, prior at Tralee, hanged, Killarney; Bernard O'Kelly, p. or lay brother, Galway; David Roche, p., sold into slavery, St. Kitts; Honoria Burke and her maid, Honoria Magan, tertiaries, Burrishoole; Daniel Delany, P.P., Arklow, hanged, Gorey.
1654: Bernard Conney, O.S.F., died in Galway jail; Mary Roche, Viscountess Fermoy, Cork; William Tirry, p., Augustinian hermit, probably in Co. Cork.
1655: Daniel O'Brien, dean of Ferns, Luke Bergin, O.Cist., and James Murchu -- hanged, 14 April.
Catholic Encyclopedia: IRISH CONFESSORS AND MARTYRS
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