Thomas Patrick Gilmartin (18 May 1861 – 14 October 1939) was an Irish clergyman of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as Bishop of Clonfert from 1909 to 1918 and

Archbishop of Tuam The Archbishop of Tuam ( ; ga, Ard-Easpag Thuama) is an archbishop which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Catholic Church. Histo ...

from 1918 to 1939.

Life

He was born in

Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. Wit ...

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the yew trees") is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Coun ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

on 18 May 1861, the son of Michael Gilmartin, Rinshiona, Castlebar. He was educated at the Franciscan monastery boys school in

Errew Errew () is a small rural settlement, about 8 km south from the county town of Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland. The history of Errew follows the Franciscan monastery which was established in 1879 as a boys school which closed in 1975, the ch ...

and at O'Dea's Academy in Castlebar. He attended St Jarlath's College in Tuam, and then

St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland ...

. Following his

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform v ...

to the priesthood in 1883, he became a professor of mathematics and natural science at St Jarlath's. In 1891, Gilmartin served as Dean of Formation and Vice-President of

. He was awarded a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

by Rome in 1905. He was appointed the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

of the Diocese of Clonfert by the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

on 3 July 1909 and was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on 13 February 1910 by the Most Reverend John Healy,

. On the death of Archbishop Healy, 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 the Metropolitan see of Tuam as archbishop on 10 July 1918., ''Handbook of British Chronology'', pg. 444. During the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and United Kingdom of Gre ...

, Archbishop Gilmartin spoke out strongly against violence. In January 1920, he criticized the "undisguised ruffianism" in the rebel ranks. Gilmartin counseled his priests that whatever their personal political beliefs, they should not take an aggressive part on behalf of either side. However, many younger clerics supported Sinn Féin and the IRA. Gilmartin was involved in the controversy over the appointment of Letitia Dunbar (a member of the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second l ...

and graduate of

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

) to the County Mayo librarianship in 1931."A Churchman Remembered"
mayonews.ie. 16 January 2008.

T.H. White Terence Hanbury "Tim" White (29 May 1906 – 17 January 1964) was an English writer best known for his Arthurian novels, published together in 1958 as ''The Once and Future King''. One of his most memorable is the first of the series, '' The Sw ...

describes meeting the Archbishop on the top of

Croagh Patrick Croagh Patrick (), nicknamed 'the Reek', is a mountain with a height of and an important site of pilgrimage in County Mayo, Ireland. The mountain has a pyramid-shaped peak and overlooks Clew Bay, rising above the village of Murrisk, several m ...

on an annual Reek Sunday pilgrimage during the 1930s in his book ''The Godstone and the Blackymor'' and having a cup of tea with him on the top after overenthusiastically kissing his ring. Gilmartin died in office on 14 October 1939, aged 78.

Works

Gilmartin wrote the Memoir of Primate Joseph Dixon in Healy's ''Centenary History of Maynooth'' in 1895. He was also a contributor to the ''Irish Ecclesiastical record'', the ''Irish Theological Quarterly'', and the ''Catholic Encyclopedia''.''The Catholic Encyclopedia and Its Makers'', 1917, p. 66
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References

Bibliography

External links

* 1861 births 1939 deaths Religious leaders from County Mayo People from County Galway Roman Catholic archbishops of Tuam 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland Roman Catholic bishops of Clonfert Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Contributors to the Catholic Encyclopedia {{Ireland-RC-bishop-stub