Jeremiah Newman (31 March 1926 – 5 April 1995) was

Bishop of Limerick The Bishop of Limerick is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Limerick in the Province of Munster, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church it still continues as a sepa ...

1974–1995 having served as Professor and President of

St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mou ...

Early life and education

He was born in Dromcollogher on 31 March 1926 and after a local primary education attended St. Munchin's College,

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

. He studied for the priesthood at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth and was ordained there on 18 June 1950. He began postgraduate studies in Philosophy at the

Catholic University of Louvain The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and was awarded a Doctorate in Philosophy there in 1951. After that he took up studies in Sociology at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

for four years before taking up a teaching post at

Queen's University, Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

Lecturer in Maynooth College

In 1953 Newman was appointed Professor of Sociology at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, succeeding

Peter McKevitt Peter McKevitt (30 November 1900 – 3 November 1976) was an Irish Roman Catholic priest, author and sociologist. He served as Chair of Catholic Sociology and Catholic Action in St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth, holding the position from 1937 to ...

. It was an institution he would remain within, and eventually lead with distinction, until he was appointed Bishop of Limerick in May 1974. He published two books about the college ''Maynooth and Georgian Ireland'' (1979) followed by ''Maynooth and Victorian Ireland'' (1983).

Bishop of Limerick

He arrived in Limerick with a strong reputation for reform having served a number of years as President of Maynooth where he adapted and shaped the college to the new challenges of the 1970s. His academic background in sociology gave him an informed understanding of the changing dynamic in Irish life, especially rural life which he has been writing about since the early 1960s especially the dangers of depopulation. He often made comment on national matters particularly about church-state relations which has been his special area of study for over 20 years. He took what might be called a broadly 'conservative' approach which, as time went on, jarred with wider public opinion especially as Ireland faced a number of constitutional referendums in the 1980s. At least one modern author has quoted the epithet alleged to have been conferred on Dr Newman by

Conor Cruise O'Brien Donal Conor David Dermot Donat Cruise O'Brien (3 November 1917 – 18 December 2008), often nicknamed "The Cruiser", was an Irish diplomat, politician, writer, historian and academic, who served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1973 ...

'The Mullah of Limerick" for articulating a neo-conservative position more commonly associated with the United States.

Death

Jeremiah Newman died in office and was the subject of many obituaries not least because of his extensive public statements in his years as Bishop of Limerick. The Tablet suggested he was most "well known for his conservatism and taste for controversial remarks" before quoting the homily by Cardinal

Cahal Daly Cahal Brendan Daly KGCHS (born Charles Brendan Daly, 1 October 1917 – 31 December 2009) was a Roman Catholic cardinal, theologian and writer from County Antrim. Daly served as the Catholic Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh from ...

that "he seemed to have a strange sense of inadequacy; and, for one who was so lovable, he seemed to have difficulties in believing that others respected and admired and indeed loved him."

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

obituary said he was a man "who kept fighting the battles of long ago." He was succeeded as Bishop of Limerick by Bishop Donal Murray. Limerick City Library holds an extensive set of newspaper articles about Bishop Jeremiah Newman which have been made available online.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, Jeremiah 1926 births 1995 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Limerick 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland Presidents of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Academics of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni Alumni of the University of Oxford Christian clergy from County Limerick

Early life and education

Lecturer in Maynooth College

Bishop of Limerick

Death

See also

References