Patrick Duggan (10 November 1813 – 15 August 1896) was an Irish Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the

Bishop of Clonfert The Bishop of Clonfert () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clonfert in County Galway, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title; but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with oth ...

from 1872 until his death. Duggan was born in Cummer,

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 ...

in 1813. He spent his early years on his mother's family farm at Carrownageehy,

Milltown, County Galway Milltown () is a small village in County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is situated on the banks of the River Clare, 47 km from Galway City, 11 km from Tuam on the N17 road (Ireland), N17 road to Sligo. History The parish o ...

. After finishing his studies at St Jarlath's College in

Tuam Tuam (; , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midland Region, Ireland, midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. The town is in a civil parishe ...

, he matriculated in

Maynooth College St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland. The college and national seminary on its grounds are often referred to as Maynooth College. The college was of ...

in 1833 and he was ordained to the priesthood on 5 June 1841. He was appointed

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...

to the parish of Kilmoylan and Cummer in County Galway, and later parish priest. He was appointed

on 10 September and by

papal brief A papal brief or breve (from the Latin "''breve'', meaning "short") is a formal document emanating from the pope. History The introduction of briefs, which occurred at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Eugene IV (3 March 1431 – 23 Februa ...

on 2 October 1871. He was consecrated bishop on 14 January 1872. Duggan supported the

Tenant Right League The Tenant Right League was a federation of local societies formed in Ireland in the wake of the Great Famine to check the power of landlords and advance the rights of tenant farmers. An initiative of northern unionists and southern nationali ...

and the

Home Rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...

movement. In the 1872 Galway County by-election, Duggan organized support for Captain (later Lieutenant-Colonel)

John Philip Nolan Lieutenant-Colonel John Philip Nolan (1838 – 30 January 1912) was an Irish nationalist landowner and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and as member of the Irish Parliamentary ...

who was favourably disposed towards tenant rights. Nolan was elected but lost his seat on the grounds of undue clerical influence, and Duggan was brought to trial with others before the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

, but the case collapsed and he was acquitted. In 1884 he was requested by Michael Cusack and others to become the patron of the planned

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

. Duggan declined due to illness, and suggested

Thomas Croke Thomas William Croke D.D. (28 May 1824 – 22 July 1902) was the second Catholic Bishop of Auckland, New Zealand (1870–74) and later Archbishop of Cashel and Emly in Ireland. He was important in the Irish nationalist movement, especially as a ...

Archbishop of Cashel and Emly In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

, in his place. He is buried in

Glasnevin Cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery () is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasnevin, Dublin, in two part ...

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 ...

. Duggan Park, a

ground in

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 ...

, is named after him.

References

* Veritas Publications, ''Bishop of the Land War: Dr. Patrick Duggan, Bishop of Clonfert, 1813-1896'', Hyperion Books, 1989. . * * * ''Duggan, Patrick'', C.J. Woods, in ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'', pp. 522–23, Cambridge, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Duggan, Patrick 1813 births 1896 deaths Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth History of the Gaelic Athletic Association People educated at St Jarlath's College Christian clergy from County Galway Roman Catholic bishops of Clonfert 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland People from Milltown, County Galway

See also

References