Edward Dillon (1739–1809) was an Irish clergyman who served as a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

in Ireland during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Dillon was born at

Caltra Caltra ( or ''Cealtrach na Pailíse'' meaning "burial-ground of the palisade") is a townland and village on the R358 regional road in County Galway, Ireland. As of the 2011 census, the townland of Caltra had a population of 115 people. Histor ...

Ballinasloe Ballinasloe ( ; ) is a town in the easternmost part of County Galway, Ireland. Located at an ancient crossing point on the River Suck, evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of Bronze Age sites. Built around a 12th-centur ...

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

. He was educated in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, becoming Superior of Irish College, Douai. Towards the end of 1791 the civil oath was demanded of the clergy. On 18 December 1791 Dillon presented a petition to the local revolutionary committee acknowledging French generosity but denying charges of partiality towards the royalist faction. This resulted in the exemption from the oath been granted to the Irish college. War between France and the

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in 1793 brought an end to the immunity and the closure of the college. Dillon returned to

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

and appointed

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

of the diocese of Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora on 21 January 1794, and the following year succeeded as the diocesan Bishop of Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora on 29 June 1795. He subsequently became

Archbishop of Tuam The Archbishop of Tuam ( ; ) is an Episcopal polity, archbishop which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Cathol ...

on 19 November 1798. He was unpopular with both his flock and the ruling class; the former for his denouncements of the

United Irishmen The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association, formed in the wake of the French Revolution, to secure Representative democracy, representative government in Ireland. Despairing of constitutional reform, and in defiance both of British ...

and the French revolution. He died in office on 13 or 30 August 1809.

References

* ''Biographical Dictionary of Irishmen in France'', Richard Hayes,

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, 1949.
Archbishop Edward Dillon
''Catholic Hierarchy website''. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dillon, Edward 1739 births 1809 deaths Roman Catholic archbishops of Tuam Bishops of Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora People from Ballinasloe 19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland Irish expatriates in France 18th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland Christian clergy from County Galway