Latest news with #OliverPlunkett
Irish Independent
07-07-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Drogheda marks culmination of ‘Saint Oliver 400' celebrations
Drogheda Independent A series of commemorative events took place in Drogheda over the weekend to mark the culmination of this year's Saint Oliver 400 celebrations. The 400th anniversary of the birth of St Oliver Plunkett was honoured throughout the year in both Drogheda and the Oldcastle area of Co Meath, with the final events held in recent days.
RTÉ News
07-07-2025
- RTÉ News
Culmination of events marking 400th anniversary of St Oliver Plunkett's birth
A series of events will take place in Drogheda, Co Louth, over the coming days to mark the culmination of this year's Saint Oliver 400 celebrations. The 400th anniversary of the birth of St Oliver Plunkett is being marked in both Drogheda and the Oldcastle area of Co Meath this year. The iconic saint was born in Loughcrew in Co Meath, on 1 November 1625 and was ordained to the priesthood in Rome in 1654, having studied at the Irish College in the city. He later became the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and maintained his duties in the face of the Penal Laws when the Catholic Church was being suppressed. St Oliver Plunkett was eventually arrested and tried for treason in London. He was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn on 1 July 1681. A group of his friends managed to rescue his head, which eventually made its way to St Peter's Church in Drogheda. The relic remains there to this day in a specially made shrine. One of the saint's thigh bones is also on display in the side altar of St Brigid's Church in Oldcastle. A series of events is under way to mark 400 years since St Oliver Plunkett's birth, and also the 50 years since his canonisation in 1975, when he became the first newly-made Irish saint for almost 700 years. Tomorrow will see an event titled the 'Plunkett Clan Gathering' take place at Loughcrew House and Gardens, the ancestral seat of the Plunkett family. An ecumenical service in the 17th-century church will be followed by historical talks, live music and refreshments, which organisers have said will be a "heartfelt tribute in a place of deep personal resonance for the saint's descendants". There will be an evening of music and reflection on Saturday with the St Oliver Concert taking place at St Peter's Church on West Street in Drogheda. Musical director Edward Holly will lead St Peter's Male Voice Choir, joined by soloists Seán Tester and Celine Byrne. However, the culmination of the anniversary year arrives on Sunday with the St Oliver Procession, a pageant of faith and remembrance that will see the community walk together in honour of the local saint. Starting from Holy Family Church in Ballsgrove, Drogheda at 3pm, the procession will make its way to St Peter's Church, the home of the shrine to St Oliver Plunkett, where a celebratory mass will be held at 4pm. The mass for the holy relics will be celebrated by Primate of All Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin, the 23rd successor of St Oliver Plunkett. This weekend's closing events coincide with the end of an The Saint Oliver 400 Commemorative Exhibition runs at 'The Exhibition Space' at Drogheda Civic Offices until Saturday.
Irish Times
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Oliver Plunkett's story would make a great film – it's a shame modern, secular Ireland has forgotten him
Interest in Oliver Plunkett has fluctuated over the four centuries since he was found guilty of treason in a blatant miscarriage of justice in 1681, after which he was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn . Interest may have peaked in the 1970s. In 1975, there was nearly a diplomatic incident because then taoiseach Liam Cosgrave and president Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh were vying to represent Ireland at the canonisation in Rome . Cosgrave won and even proclaimed the first reading at the canonisation Mass. Archbishop Karol Wojtyła of Kraków also attended, invited by Cardinal William Conway. Four years later, now Pope John Paul II, he prayed before the relics of St Oliver Plunkett at Drogheda before his famous plea for peace. Citing Oliver Plunkett as an exemplar of forgiveness, he begged 'in the language of passionate pleading ... on my knees ... turn away from the paths of violence and ... return to the ways of peace'. More than 50 years before, in 1920, when Terence McSwiney was Lord Mayor of Cork, Sinn Féin councillors successfully proposed that George's Street be renamed Oliver Plunkett Street in honour of his beatification. READ MORE This year marks the 400th anniversary of Oliver Plunkett's birth and the 50th since his canonisation. But in contrast, the national coverage has been scant and the response muted, aside from in places directly associated with the saint, such as Loughcrew in Co Meath, where he was born, Armagh, where he was primate, and Drogheda, the home of the national shrine in St Peter's Church. An extensive programme , concluding in November, has been held in these areas involving Masses and ecumenical services, walks, tours, exhibitions, concerts and competitions, thanks to a hard-working committee. It is not the first time that Oliver Plunkett has fallen from national attention. For example, in the 200 years after his death, only a loyal few kept his memory alive. Tommy Burns, writing in the Commemorative Book compiled by the St Oliver 400 Committee, includes in that small number the Siena Dominican Sisters in Drogheda. They preserved the executed archbishop's head for nearly 200 years, which sometimes involved great personal risk. While the relic may appear grisly to modern sensibilities, it is venerated not for ghoulish reasons but as evidence of his ultimate sacrifice for his faith. [ From the archive: Highlighting cruelty of St Oliver Plunkett's execution reaffirms our commitment to faith Opens in new window ] Oliver Plunkett's story would make a great film. He was connected to many of the Hiberno-Norman landed families. When he chose to be a priest, he also chose exile in Rome, as no seminary could operate in Ireland. He became a well-regarded professor of theology at the College for the Propagation of the Faith. When appointed as Archbishop of Armagh in 1670, the memory of Cromwell's slaughter of thousands in Drogheda and Wexford followed by deliberately induced famine that reduced the population by up to 25 per cent was still fresh. Plunkett managed to navigate a political situation where Catholics officially had no civil rights. It sometimes necessitated disguise as an English officer or hiding in caves. He worked tirelessly to be on good terms with Protestant bishops and included Protestant students in a newly established Jesuit school in Drogheda. The Irish Catholic Church was in chaos – religious orders fighting over property, alcohol-abusing priests leading scandalous lives, and the Rapparees – or partisans – launching raids. The Rapparees were viewed either as guerrilla defenders of fellow dispossessed Catholics or lawless criminals, and probably contained elements of both. Oliver Plunkett negotiated a settlement with the Rapparees in Tyrone, leading to an unprecedented peace. Some of the clerics he reprimanded or removed from office would eventually give false testimony against him, implicating him in Titus Oates' entirely fictitious Popish plot. Modern, secular Ireland does not have much space for a story like Oliver Plunkett's or, indeed, for contemporary examples of Christian persecution. But as Archbishop Eamon Martin said in a homily in Loughcrew last Sunday, 'sadly, even in 2025, martyrdom remains a reality for many of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world'. Archbishop Martin cited the recent murder of 200 Christians in western Nigeria. Fulani armed groups descended on a village full of displaced Christians and murdered them with machetes, before setting fire to their bodies. According to a UK Parliament research briefing , 4,476 Christians were killed for faith-related reasons in 2024. Seventy per cent of those killed were in Nigeria. The world mostly ignores it. The BBC recently provided a perfect example of this reluctance to ascribe religious motives in an explainer on the 200 deaths. It laid the blame on farmer versus herder conflicts and climate change before mentioning religion as an additional factor. According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, Fulani armed groups in northwest Nigeria engage in 'kidnapping, rape, property and cattle theft, illegal possession of weapons, and murder'. While the motivation behind individual attacks can be difficult to verify, they 'significantly restrict freedom of religion or belief, particularly for the predominantly Christian communities that live there'. We care about the shocking conditions of Palestinian children in Gaza because we see them daily on our screens. The courage and faith of St Oliver might remind us that other persecuted communities, including Christians, deserve visibility and no less of our concern.
RTÉ News
03-07-2025
- RTÉ News
Events to take place celebrating the birth of St Oliver Plunkett
A series of events will take place in Drogheda, Co Louth, over the coming days to mark the culmination of this year's Saint Oliver 400 celebrations. The 400th anniversary of the birth of St Oliver Plunkett is being marked in both Drogheda and the Oldcastle area of Co Meath this year. The iconic saint was born in Loughcrew in Co Meath on 1 November 1625 and was ordained to the priesthood in Rome in 1654, having studied at the Irish College in the city. He later became the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and maintained his duties in the face of the Penal Laws when the Catholic Church was being suppressed. St Oliver Plunkett was eventually arrested and tried for treason in London. He was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn on 1 July 1681. A group of his friends managed to rescue his head, which eventually made its way to St Peter's Church in Drogheda. The relic remains there to this day in a specially made shrine. One of the saint's thigh bones is also on display in the side altar of St Brigid's Church in Oldcastle. A series of events is under way this year to mark 400 years since St Oliver Plunkett's birth, and also the 50 years since his canonisation in 1975, when he became the first newly-made Irish saint for almost 700 years. Tomorrow will see an event titled the 'Plunkett Clan Gathering' take place at Loughcrew House and Gardens, the ancestral seat of the Plunkett family. An ecumenical service in the 17th-century church will be followed by historical talks, live music and refreshments, which organisers have said will be a "heartfelt tribute in a place of deep personal resonance for the saint's descendants". There will be an evening of music and reflection on Saturday with the St Oliver Concert taking place at St Peter's Church on West Street in Drogheda. Musical director Edward Holly will lead St Peter's Male Voice Choir, joined by soloists Seán Tester and Celine Byrne. However, the culmination of the anniversary year arrives on Sunday with the St Oliver Procession, a pageant of faith and remembrance that will see the community walk together in honour of the local saint. Starting from Holy Family Church in Ballsgrove, Drogheda at 3pm, the procession will make its way to St Peter's Church, the home of the shrine to St Oliver Plunkett, where a celebratory mass will be held. This weekend's closing events coincide with the end of an exhibition, which opened last month and includes a number of artefacts and memorabilia associated with the saint. The Saint Oliver 400 Commemorative Exhibition runs at 'The Exhibition Space' at Drogheda Civic Offices until Saturday.
RTÉ News
09-06-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
Exhibition marks 400th anniversary of St Oliver Plunkett's birth
The official launch of an exhibition to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the birth of St Oliver Plunkett will take place in Drogheda, Co Louth today. The exhibition will include a number of artefacts and memorabilia associated with the iconic saint that have never previously been on public display. St Oliver Plunkett was born in Loughcrew in Co Meath on 1 November 1625 and was ordained to the priesthood in Rome in 1654, having studied at the Irish College in the city. He later became the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and maintained his duties in the face of the Penal Laws when the Catholic Church was being suppressed. St Oliver Plunkett was eventually arrested and tried for treason in London. He was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn on 1 July 1681. His head was rescued by a group of his friends and eventually made its way to St Peter's Church in Drogheda, where it remains today in a specially made shrine. A series of events is taking place in the town this year to mark 400 years since St Oliver Plunkett's birth, and also the 50 years since his can canonisation in 1975, when he became the first newly-made Irish saint for almost 700 years. The official launch of the St Oliver 400 Commemorative Exhibition will take place at the Drogheda Civic Offices on Fair Street. The exhibition will include St Oliver's Crozier loaned from a private collection, the original ebony casing which housed the saint's head and an original coffin plate from the Monastery of St Catherine of Siena in Drogheda. Other items going on public display are three silver crucifixes attributed to the saint and vestments loaned from St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh and Mullingar Museum. The exhibition also includes a large collection of banners, books, coins and a written account of the then archbishop's trial in London in 1681. Co-chair of the Saint Oliver 400 Community Group, Tommy Burns said: "It is fitting that St Oliver who reformed the clergy, built schools, brought peace and hope to the people is still so fondly remembered in Ireland, and exemplified in this important exhibition in Drogheda, 400 years after his birth." Meanwhile, local historian Séamus Bellew, who specialises in heraldry and genealogy, said: "This exhibition brings together a rare collection of items, comprising books, brasses and the reliquary that housed St Oliver's head, all from the 17th century and much more besides...a must see." Thomas McEvoy, Deputy Chief Executive of Louth County Council, said it is important to commemorate the life of St Oliver as his story is one of "resilience and integrity during some of the most turbulent periods in our history." Mr McEvoy said: "His unwavering commitment to peace, reconciliation, and education serves as a timeless example for us all and the Saint Oliver 400 Exhibition brings this legacy to life in a new and powerful way. "On behalf of Louth County Council, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Saint Oliver 400 Community Group who have organised this exhibition here in our Civic Offices in the heart of Drogheda." The exhibition runs at 'The Exhibition Space' at Drogheda Civic Offices on weekdays until 4 July.
