Matthew Gibney (1 November 1835 – 22 June 1925) was an Irish-born

metropolitan bishop In Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), is held by the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a Metropolis (reli ...

in Australia and the third

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 ...

Bishop of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, serving from 1886 until 1910. Gibney is perhaps best known for giving notorious

bushranger Bushrangers were armed robbers and outlaws who resided in The bush#Australia, the Australian bush between the 1780s and the early 20th century. The original use of the term dates back to the early years of the British colonisation of Australia ...

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 185411 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader, bank robber and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing armour of the Kelly gang, a suit of bulletproof ...

his

last rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. The Commendation of the Dying is practiced in liturgical Chri ...

following a shootout at Glenrowan,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, in 1880.

Early years

Gibney was raised on the family farm in

Killygorman Killygorman (Irish derived place name, Coill Uí Ghormáin meaning 'The Wood of O’Gorman') is a townland in the civil parish of Kildallan, barony of Tullyhunco, County Cavan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Geography Killygorman is bounded on th ...

townland, parish of

Kildallan Kildallan is a civil parish in the historical barony of Tullyhunco, County Cavan, Ireland. Etymology The name of the parish derives from Kildallan townland which is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic ''Cill Dalláin'' meaning the 'Church of Dall� ...

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

. Gibney studied for the priesthood at the preparatory seminary at

Stillorgan Stillorgan (, also and previously or ), formerly a village in its own right, is now a suburban area of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Stillorgan is located in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, and contains many housing estates, shops and oth ...

and from 1857 at the Catholic Missionary College of All Hallows in Drumcondra,

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 ...

. He was ordained a priest in 1863 and arrived in

, Western Australia later that year. On an 1880 trip through the

Colony of Victoria The Colony of Victoria was a historical administrative division in Australia that existed from 1851 until 1901, when it federated with other colonies to form the Commonwealth of Australia. Situated in the southeastern corner of the Australian ...

, Gibney was travelling by train between

Benalla Benalla is a small city in the Hume (region), Hume region of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The town sits on the Broken River (Victoria), Broken River, about north east of the state capital Melbourne. As of the , the population wa ...

and

Albury Albury (; ) is a major regional city that is located in the Murray River, Murray region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury–Wodonga, Albury-Wodonga and is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of ...

when at Glenrowan, he disembarked to offer assistance during the Siege of Glenrowan.

and his gang had been cornered by the police in a local hotel, which the police set alight in order to draw out the remaining

s. Gibney entered the burning building in an attempt to rescue anyone inside, and found the bodies of gang members

Joe Byrne Joseph Byrne (21 November 1856 – 28 June 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw and member of the Kelly gang, referred to as leader Ned Kelly's second in command. Byrne was born in country Victoria with an Irish Catholic background. He ...

, Dan Kelly and

Steve Hart Stephen Hart (13 February 1859 – 28 June 1880) was an Australian bushranger, a member of the Kelly gang. Biography In 1877, Hart was convicted of horse theft and illegal use of a horse and sentenced to 12 months hard labour in HM Pris ...

, as well as the mortally wounded hostage Martin Cherry, who he helped retrieve and to whom he gave the

. Gibney also tended to the injured Ned Kelly following his capture, heard his confession and gave him the last rites.

Bishop of Perth

In January 1887, Gibney was consecrated as Bishop of Perth. His episcopate was marked by a number of poor investment decisions as the diocese purchased shops, offices, houses, and a hotel in Perth as well as a newspaper, exerting editorial influence by banning the publication of horse racing information, which led to the paper's eventual demise. As the diocese's debts mounted, Gibney was forced to resign in May 1910. During his episcopate he was closely involved with the founding of the Beagle Bay Aboriginal community north of Broome, along with what eventually became

St John of God Health Care St John of God Health Care is a Catholic provider of health care services in Australia, with 24 hospitals and facilities comprising more than 3,400 beds. The group operates in Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...

. Gibney died of cancer on 22 June 1925 and was buried in St Mary's Cathedral in Perth.

Exhumation

During restoration work in the cathedral from 2003 to 2006, the brick and plaster

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

containing the coffins of Gibney and Bishop

Martin Griver Martin Griver y Cuni (11 November 1814 in Granollers, Spain1 November 1886 in Perth, Western Australia), an Australian bishop, was the second Roman Catholic Bishop of Perth, serving from 1873 until his death in 1886. Early life in Spain As a y ...

were discovered by archaeologists under the floorboards of the cathedral.

References

* Appointment of the Very Rev. Matthew Gibney, Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Perth, '' Western Mail'', 25 Sept. 1886, p. 11 *

Early years

Bishop of Perth

Exhumation

References

Further reading