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John William Kirwan (died 29 December 1849) was the first President of Queen's College, Galway. Kirwan was a member of one of The Tribes of Galway, and was noted by contemporaries as an outstanding preacher.
He was appointed parish priest of Kilcummin (Oughterard in 1827, from about which time he had been canvassing for office in a proposed Queen's College for Galway. This was a highly emotive issue in Ireland, as it was felt that the Catholic population could not, and should not, propagate a system of education not endorsed by their clergy.
However, when the bill was eventually passed in 1845, Kirwin immediately travelled to London to argue his case with Sir Robert Peel, who was sufficiently impressed to nominate him. To the shock of much of his community and friends, he was appointed President in October or November 1845. While there was support, it was outweighed by the venom of his critics. Nevertheless, he began with the chairman of the board of works and the commissioner for buildings to inspect sites. A site was selected outside the town, between the Corrib and the Newcastle road; once purchased, construction began.
Meanwhile, personal attacks continued, such as those from the editor of the Catholic weekly, The Tablet , while the Holy See still maintained its opposition to the colleges. At one point in late 1848 Kirwan was distressed enough by events to offer his resignation, but was dissuaded, apparently by the then Archbishop of Armagh, William Crolly, who was a staunch supporter of the scheme.
Nevertheless, the strain took a toll on his health, and he was obliged to spend some months out of the public eye. Problems had emerged with the College's construction, as it became apparent that he would not be completed in time for the formal opening. Matters turned tragic on 22 October 1849 when the contractor, Francis Burke, killed himself in Kirwan's home in Salthill.
Nevertheless, the College opened on 30 October 1849. But Kirwan's precarious health worsened, and he died on 24 December 1849. He was buried in the parish church of Oughterard. A portrait of Kirwan hangs in the board-room of the National University of Ireland, Galway.
The Tribes of Galway were 14 merchant families who dominated the political, commercial and social life of the city of Galway in western Ireland between the mid-13th and late 19th centuries. They were the families of Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, Darcy/D’Arcy, Deane, Font, French, Joyce, Kirwan, Lynch, Martyn, Morris and Skerritt. Of the 14 families, 12 were of Anglo Norman origin, while two—the Darcy and Kirwan families—were Normanised Irish Gaels.
Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin, was an Irish journalist, author, sports official, and the sixth President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He succeeded his uncle as Baron Killanin in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1927, when he was 12, which allowed him to sit in the House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster as Lord Killanin upon turning 21.
Thomas Barnwall Martin was an Irish landowner and politician.
The Queen's University of Ireland was established formally by royal charter on 3 September 1850, as the degree-awarding university of the Queen's Colleges of Belfast, Cork, and Galway that were established in 1845 "to afford a university education to members of all religious denominations" in Ireland.
Joseph William Kirwan was an Irish clergyman and educationalist, who served as the first president of Queen's College Galway.
Edward Berwick (1804-1877) was an Irish lawyer and educationalist, and served as President of Queen's College Galway from 1849 until 1877.
William Crolly was the Bishop of Down and Connor from 1825 to 1835, and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh from 1835 to 1849.
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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Achonry is a Roman Catholic diocese in the western part of Ireland. It is one of the five suffragan sees of the Archdiocese of Tuam. The diocese was often called the "bishopric of Luighne" in the Irish annals. It was not established at the Synod of Rathbreasail, but Máel Ruanaid Ua Ruadáin signed as "bishop of Luighne" at the Synod of Kells.
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Cornelius Denvir (1791–1866) was an Irish Roman Catholic prelate, mathematician, natural philosopher and former Lord Bishop of Down and Connor. He is noted for ministering in Belfast amidst growing sectarian tension, taking a moderate and non-confrontational stance, to the annoyance of his pro-Catholic followers. He was also a professor at Maynooth College as well as Down and Connor Diocesan College, and was active in the local scientific community.
Rev Andrew Martyn (1785–1847) was an Irish Roman Catholic priest and activist. He was a staunch supporter of the Repeal Association.
The Ashfield Gales consisted of six generations of a Gale family who owned the Ashfield estate in Killabban Parish, Queens County, Ireland from the mid-17th Century until 1851.
William Ó Ciardhubháin, fl. 1488, was an Irish merchant and the founder of one of the Tribes of Galway.
Maurice Francis Burke was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Cheyenne in Wyoming (1887–1893) and as bishop of the Diocese of Saint Joseph in Missouri (1893–1923).
George Joseph Plunket Browne (1795–1858) was an Irish Roman Catholic clergyman. Born to a "well-known Roscommon family", he served as Bishop of Galway from 1831 until 1844, and afterward as Bishop of Elphin, until his death on 1 December 1858. He was charged with being a "Cullenite" in 1855, that is, a follower of ultramontane Paul Cardinal Cullen.
Walter Blake Kirwan (1754–1805) was an Irish priest of the Church of Ireland and a noted preacher.
Laurence O'Donnell DD was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Galway, starting in 1844; he was appointed September 26, and consecrated October 28.
Oughterard GAA is a Gaelic football club based in Oughterard, County Galway, Ireland. The Gaelic Athletic Association club is a member of the Galway GAA. Oughterard had a hurling team in the 1920s but is primarily and always has been a Gaelic football club and teams compete from the groups of under 6 to Senior.