William O'Higgins

Last updated

William O'Higgins (1794-1853), was an Irish Roman Catholic priest and professor, who served as Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, from 1829 until his death in 1853. [1]

Contents

O'Higgins taught english and theology in France, the Austrian Empire and Ireland.

Biography

O'Higgins was born in Ballagh Beg, Drumlish, County Longford on August 1, 1794, [2] His nephew was William T. O'Higgins who served as a chaplain in the American Civil war.

O'Higgins attended school in Longford and Leitrim. In 1812, he went to Paris to study for the priesthood at the Picpus Seminary. In 1815, O'Higgins assisted in the reopening of the Irish College in Paris, closed since the French Revolution.,

O'Higgins was ordained in 1817 and graduated from the Sorbonne University with an MA in 1818, ranking first in his BD exam. [3] He then held the Chair of English at the Irish College, where he was Professor of Theology.[ citation needed ] O'Higgins taught at the University of Vienna, before going to Rome. There he earned Maxima cum laude for his Doctorate of Divinity, following the defence of his thesis before the future Pope Gregory XVI. Returning to Ireland O'Higgins taught at Maynooth College, where he held the chair of dogmatic theology.

O'Higgins was elevated to the Ardagh and Clonmacnoise bishopric, [4] following the death of Bishop James Magauran in 1829, O'Higgins served in this post until his own death.

A supporter of Irish Nationalism and Catholic emancipation in Ireland, O'Higgins gaelicised his surname, adding the O in recognition of his friend Daniel O'Connell. In 1840, O'Higgins laid the foundation stone for St Mel's Cathedral, Longford, [5] the cathedral was finished by his successor Rt. Rev. Dr. John Kilduff.

O'Higgins died in 1853.

Legacy

In 2020 a statue of O'Higgins by sculptor Dony MacManus, commissioned by the Bishop William O'Higgins Heritage Project [6] was unveiled outside St. Mary's Church, Drumlish.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the dedication ceremony was delayed until August 28, 2021, by Bishop Francis Duffy. [7]

Related Research Articles

Ballymahon Town in Leinster, Ireland

Ballymahon on the River Inny is a town in the southern part of County Longford, Ireland. It is located at the junction of the N55 National secondary road and the R392 regional road.

Longford Town in Leinster, Ireland

Longford is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of Ireland's N4 and N5 National Primary Route roads, which means that traffic traveling between Dublin and County Mayo, or north County Roscommon passes around the town. Longford railway station, on the Dublin-Sligo line, is used heavily by commuters.

Michael OConnor (bishop)

Michael O'Connor, S.J., was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and a member of the Society of Jesus. He served as the Bishop of Pittsburgh and briefly as the Bishop of Erie (1853).

Charles (Cahal) Brendan Cardinal Daly KGCHS was an Irish philosopher, theologian, writer and international speaker and, in later years, a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.

Mél of Ardagh

Mél of Ardagh, also written Mel or Moel, was a 5th-century saint in Ireland who was a nephew of Saint Patrick. He was the son of Conis and Patrick's sister, Darerca. Saint Darerca was known as the "mother of saints" because most of her children entered religious life, many were later recognized as saints, and several of her sons became bishops.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise

The Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise is a Roman Catholic diocese in Ireland.

Bishop of Ardagh

The Bishop of Ardagh was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the village of Ardagh, County Longford in the Republic of Ireland. It was used by the Roman Catholic Church until 1756, and intermittently by the Church of Ireland until 1839.

Events from the year 1829 in Ireland.

Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh

The United Dioceses of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh is a diocese of the Church of Ireland located in central Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh.

St Mels Cathedral Church in Longford, Ireland

The Cathedral Church of St Mel is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, located in the town of Longford in Ireland. Built between 1840 and 1856, with the belfry and portico as later additions, it has been considered the "flagship cathedral" of the Irish midlands region, Longford's "landmark building" and "one of the finest Catholic churches in Ireland". The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Mél, who came to Ireland with Saint Patrick and who was ordained bishop at Ardagh, County Longford.

St Mel's College is an all-boys secondary school in Longford, Ireland.

Colm O'Reilly is an Irish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise from 1983 to 2013.

James Magauran, D.D., (1769/71–1829) was an Irish cleric who served as the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise from 1815 to 1829.

Bartholomew Woodlock

Dr. Bartholomew Woodlock was an Irish Catholic bishop, philosopher and educator. He established the Catholic University School, Dublin, and founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Ireland. He was the 2nd Rector of the Catholic University of Ireland, now University College Dublin, after Cardinal John Henry Newman.

Dean of Elphin and Ardagh

The Dean of Elphin and Ardagh is based in St John the Baptist Cathedral, Sligo in the Diocese of Elphin and Ardagh within the united bishopric of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh of the Church of Ireland. The dioceses of Elphin and Ardagh were merged in 1841. The original cathedral of Ardagh, Co Longford had been destroyed by military action in 1496 and the original diocesan cathedral of Saint Mary’s, Elphin, Co Roscommon was damaged by a storm in 1957 and abandoned in 1961.

Cathedral of Saint Mel in Ardagh

The Cathedral of Saint Mell is the name given to the ruins of a small, Early Medieval church in the village of Ardagh, County Longford in Ireland, not to be confused with St Mel's Cathedral in the town of Longford. Church reform in the 12th century made Saint Mel's Cathedral in Ardagh the centre of the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, demonstrating the importance of the site as a Cathedral and bishopric see. Although known as Saint Mel's Cathedral, the ruined church dates from three centuries after the saint's death, and predates the introduction of a diocesan system in Ireland.

Francis Duffy (bishop) Irish clergyman

Francis Duffy is an Irish clergyman who was appointed the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise on 17 July 2013. On November 10th 2021 Bishop Duffy was appointed as Archbishop elect of the Archdiocese of Tuam

William T. OHiggins

William T. O'Higgins (1829-1874) was a Catholic chaplain in the American Civil War. He served in the 10th Ohio Infantry.

Donal "Dony" MacManus is an Irish sculptor and educator.

Bishop George M. Conroy (1832–1878) was an Irish Roman Catholic priest and bishop.

References

  1. ↑ Historical Reference : A Sense of Mission www.ardaghdiocese.org
  2. ↑ Most Rev. Dr. William O’Higgins Missionary History, Drumlish Parish, www.drumlishparish.ie.
  3. ↑ Bishop William O’Higgins statue is unveiled in Drumlish by Fr. Liam Courtney, Local News, Longford Leader, Sept 19, 2020.
  4. ↑ Bishop of Ardagh Drumlish Heritage and History Society.
  5. ↑ An Irishman's Diary Irish Times, January 4, 2010.
  6. ↑ Bishop O'Higgins Commission Brief www.visualartists.ie
  7. ↑ Special ceremony in Drumlish today for famous historical Bishop statue - News, Shannonside Radio, August 28, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.