The remarkable figure of Miler Magrath, the ’enigma of Cashel’, died on this day in 1622.
He managed to be simultaneously a Catholic and Protestant bishop, a Franciscan friar with vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, a married man with nine children and a property magnate that would be the envy of anyone.
Born in County Fermanagh, his first episcopal post was Catholic bishop of Down and Connor in 1565. Queen Elizabeth I, who greatly admired him, appointed him Protestant bishop of nearby Clogher in 1570. A year later she promoted him to be archbishop of Cashel, where he remained until his death in 1622 at the age of 100.
He had also managed to add on the dioceses of Waterford and Lismore and later, Killala and Achonry, which spread his property portfolio even further. While Rome left him technically in charge of Down and Connor for 10 years, Pope Gregory XIII, tiring of this double role, excommunicated him in 1580.
Miler nevertheless brought up his nine children as Catholic and secured lucrative posts for them in his Cashel holdings. His wife, Anny O’Meara of Toomevara, remained a staunch Catholic all her life.
"Notorious" is the epithet frequently used about him. The title of former Protestant bishop of Limerick Robert Wyse Jackson's book on Miler is Scoundrel of Cashel. Canon Patrick Comerford of Christ Church and Anglican studies lecturer describes him as "the infamous Miler Magrath, one of the most corrupt pluralists in Irish Church history".
Roscrea’s Fr Patrick Ryan, of the Spiritan congregation who wrote a book about Magrath in 2014, preferred the milder epithet of "the enigma of Cashel". To his critics, Miler was "irascible, wild and unstable". But to admirers he was "a great politician, a man of gravity and wisdom."
He died on 14 November 1622, having ruled Cashel for almost 52 years. Miler wrote his own epitaph for his tomb in St Patrick’s Cathedral on the Rock of Cashel. It includes the lines: “Here where I am placed I am not. I am not where I am not. Nor am I in both places, but I am in each.”
Sources:
https://historyireland.com/miler-magrath-the-enigmatic-archbishop/
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/rehabilitating-miler-magrath-a-catholic-and-protestant-bishop-1.1902962
https://www.dib.ie/biography/magrath-miler-meiler-a5351
On this day in 1922, Garda Henry Phelan was shot dead in Mullaly’s pub on Kickham Street, Mullinahone.
He was the first member of An Garda Síochána to die on duty when he was shot dead by members of the anti-Treaty IRA. He was 21 years old.
Author Colm Wallace detailed what exactly happened to Garda Phelan on that fateful day in Mullinahone in his book ‘The Fallen: Gardaí Killed in Service 1922-1949′. According to Mr Wallace, Garda Phelan, from near Mountrath, Co. Laois, joined the Civic Guard in May 1922 and was shortly afterwards posted to Kilkenny. At the end of October, he was transferred along with twelve of his colleagues and a sergeant to Callan.
“Just after 3pm on Tuesday, November 14th 1922, Garda Phelan, along with two colleagues, Garda Irwin and Garda Flood were granted an afternoon’s leave from their superior officer, Sgt Kilroy. The men had decided to cycle the five miles to Mullinahone – the trip was a recreational one.”
According to Mr Wallace, Garda Phelan and his colleagues had gone to Mullinahone to buy a sliotar and some hurleys for a new team that Garda Phelan was planning to set up in Callan and after purchasing the goods, they went into Ms Mullally’s pub and general grocers for a glass of lemonade.
“Three armed men rushed into the premises. The first of the intruders produced a revolver while the man behind him held a rifle level with his hip. The first man fired a shot in the direction of the three men from three or four yards. It hit Garda Phelan in the face and he fell heavily on to the floor.”
According to Mr Wallace, the second raider, who was still pointing his rifle at Garda Irwin and Garda Flood, seemed just as surprised by the shooting as the two gardaí and he asked his compatriot with the revolver, ‘What are you after doing – why did you fire?’.
The first man muttered something inaudible and put the revolver back in his holster and as Garda Flood begged to be allowed come to the aid of his fallen comrade, the gunmen gave him permission to do so but a local doctor arrived soon after and pronounced Garda Phelan dead at the scene.
According to John O’Brien, an inquest was held on November 16th at which Ms Mullally said she knew the identity of Garda Phelan’s killer and wrote his name on a piece of paper which she gave to the coroner, but the person was never charged even though the jury returned a verdict of murder.
Soon after, Chief of Staff of the anti-Treaty IRA, General Liam Lynch issued orders forbidding the shooting of unarmed members of the Civic Guard and no other gardaí were killed during the remainder of the Civil War which continued until May 24th 1923.
Garda Henry Phelan is buried in Camross cemetery, Mountrath, County Laois.
Sources:
https://www.irishtimes.com/.../first-garda-to-die-on.../
https://www.garda.ie/.../roll-of-honour.../phelan-henry.html
