Richard Marlay was Dean of Ferns from 1769 to 1787; and

Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh The Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh was the Ordinary of the Church of Ireland diocese of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh, comprising the southern part of County Galway and a small area of County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of ...

from 1787 to 1795 when he was

translated Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

to Waterford and Lismore. He died in office on 1 July 1802.Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. ''Handbook of British Chronology''. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

, 1996 , He was the youngest surviving son of Thomas Marlay,

Lord Chief Justice of Ireland The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge ...

, and his wife Anne Delaune, daughter of Charles Delaune.

Henry Grattan Henry Grattan (3 July 1746 – 4 June 1820) was an Irish politician and lawyer who campaigned for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century from Britain. He was a Member of the Irish Parliament (MP) from 1775 to 18 ...

, the noted statesman, was his nephew, son of his sister Mary Marlay, who married James Grattan. He was the nephew of another Church of Ireland bishop, George Marlay,

Bishop of Dromore The Bishop of Dromore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the original monastery of Dromore in County Down, Northern Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church the title still continues as a separate bishopric, but in the Church of Irela ...

; George's branch of the family gave their name to

Marlay Park Marlay Park () is a suburban public park located in Rathfarnham in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Lying about from Dublin city centre, the parkland comprises woodlands, ponds and walks. Recreational spaces include a n ...

. Richard's elder brother was the soldier Colonel Thomas Marlay. He was a close friend of

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

, and a member of the Literary Club founded by Johnson in 1764. His father had purchased Celbridge Abbey in

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

, best remembered as the home of

Esther Vanhomrigh Esther Vanhomrigh or Van Homrigh (known by the pseudonym Vanessa; c. 1688 – 2 June 1723), an Irish woman of Dutch descent, was a longtime lover and correspondent of Jonathan Swift. Swift's letters to her were published after her death. Her ...

, the beloved ''Vanessa'' of

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, essayist, satirist, and Anglican cleric. In 1713, he became the Dean (Christianity), dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and was given the sobriquet "Dean Swi ...

, in 1723, and Richard had it extensively rebuilt in the 1780s. His brother Thomas also lived here with his wife and children.

Notes

1802 deaths Deans of Ferns 18th-century Anglican bishops in Ireland 19th-century Anglican bishops in Ireland Bishops of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh Bishops of Waterford and Lismore (Church of Ireland) Year of birth unknown {{Ireland-Anglican-bishop-stub