Francis McCormack
Francis McCormack (8 April 1833 – 14 November 1909) was an Irish Catholic bishop of the 19th and 20th century.[1]
The Most Reverend Francis McCormack | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator Emeritus of Kilfenora | |
| Native name | Proinsias Mac Cormaic |
| Diocese | Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora |
| Installed | 26 April 1887 |
| Term ended | 21 October 1908 |
| Predecessor | Thomas Joseph Carr |
| Successor | Thomas O'Dea |
| Other post(s) | Coadjutor Bishop of Achonry 1871–75 Bishop of Achonry 1875–87 Titular Bishop of Claudiopolis in Isauria Titular Archbishop of Nisibin |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 10 June 1862 (Priest) |
| Consecration | 21 November 1871 (Bishop) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Francis McCormack 8 April 1833 |
| Died | 14 November 1909 (aged 76) |
| Buried | Crypt of Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, Galway |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Alma mater | Maynooth College |
Early life and family
Francis Joseph McCormack was born in Ballintubber in 1833. He studied for the priesthood in Maynooth College.[2] His nephew, Captain Patrick McCormack, was one of the Cairo Gang assassinated on Bloody Sunday (1920).[3] Dr McCormack was also a cousin of the founder of the Land League, Michael Davitt.
Priest
McCormack was ordained a priest in 1862.
Bishop
McCormack was consecrated a bishop by John McEvilly, Archbishop of Tuam. He was Bishop of Achonry 1871 to 1887. In 1879 a minor famine saw 300 people beg food from the bishop at Christmas. He wrote a letter to the Land League, contrasting the vast sums spent on the Anglo-Zulu War and Second Anglo-Afghan War with the minimal amount the government spent on famine relief.[4][5] He also condemned "assisted emigration," whereby landlords paid the fare to get rid of unwanted tenants.[6]
In 1887 McCormack was translated to the Diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh where he served until he retired due to ill health in 1908. He died in 1909.[7][8] He is buried in Galway Cathedral crypt, his papers are stored in the Diocesan archive.
References
- "MacCormack, Francis". Who's Who & Who Was Who. Vol. 1920–2016 (April 2014 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 17 February 2021. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- 'A Dominant Church: The Diocese of Achonry, 1818-1960' Swords, L Dublin;Columba Press; 2005 ISBN 1856073955
- Yeates, Pádraig (28 September 2012). A City in Turmoil – Dublin 1919–1921: The War of Independence. Gill & Macmillan Ltd. ISBN 9780717154630 – via Google Books.
- Townend, Paul A. (1 January 2016). The Road to Home Rule: Anti-imperialism and the Irish National Movement. University of Wisconsin Pres. ISBN 9780299310707 – via Google Books.
- "An Irishman's Diary". The Irish Times.
- (M.A.), Gerard P. Moran (1 January 2004). Sending out Ireland's poor: assisted emigration to North America in the nineteenth century. Four Courts Press. ISBN 9781851828241 – via Google Books.
- "Bishop Francis McCormack [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- "History of the Diocese - Diocese of Galway".
