Daniel McGettigan

The Most Reverend Daniel McGettigan,
Archbishop of Armagh Primate of All Ireland
Statue of Daniel McGettigan in front of his cathedral in Armagh, created c. 1904 by Pietro Lazzarini[1]
Archdiocese	Armagh
Installed	1870
Term ended	1887
Predecessor	Michael Kieran
Successor	Michael Logue
Orders
Ordination	1839 (Priest)
Consecration	18 May 1856 (Bishop)
Personal details
Born	15 November 1815 Mevagh, County Donegal
Died	3 December 1887 County Armagh
Nationality	Irish
Denomination	Roman Catholic Church
Parents	Manasses McGettigan and Mary Boyle

Daniel McGettigan (1815–1887) was an Irish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.[2] He served Bishop of Raphoe from 1861 to 1870 and Archbishop of Armagh from 1870 to 1887.[3][4]

Early life

Born in Mevagh, County Donegal on 15 November 1815,[5] he was the son of Manasses McGettigan and Mary Boyle.[6] He was educated at Kildare Street Society School in Mevagh, a classical school in Derry, the seminary in Navan, and St Patrick's College, Maynooth.[2][6] As a student he adhered to the Gallican doctrine.[7]

Priest

He was ordained to the priesthood by Patrick McGettigan, Bishop of Raphoe in 1839. He was appointed a curate at Inver in October 1839, followed by as a curate at Letterkenny in March 1840, and then the parish priest in Ballyshannon in June 1855.[2][6]

Bishop and Archbishop

He was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Raphoe and Titular Bishop of Geras by the Holy See on 18 February 1856 and consecrated to the Episcopate on 18 May 1856. The principal consecrator was Archbishop Joseph Dixon of Armagh. On the death of Patrick McGettigan, he succeeded as Diocesan Bishop of Raphoe on 1 May 1860. He translated to the Archdiocese of Armagh by the Holy See on 6 March 1870.

McGettigan served as one of the 693 Council Fathers to Pope Pius IX during the First Vatican Council. Daniel McGettigan refused a red hat from Pope Pius IX and Pope Leo XIII; he did not feel worthy. McGettigan was the last Primate of All Ireland not to be a Prince of the Church.

In his time in Armagh the Cathedral was completed & dedicated on 24 August 1873. McGettigan oversaw the construction of the seven-terraced flight of steps leading from the Cathedral gates to the west door. In the years following he raised funds for, and eventually opened both Archbishop’s House (Ara Coeli) in 1876/7 and Sacristan’s Lodge inside the Cathedral gates 1884-6.[8]

References

1. Mulligan, Kevin V. (2013). South Ulster: The counties of Armagh, Cavan and Monaghan. The Buildings of Ireland. Yale University Press. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-300-18601-7.
2. Daniel McGettigan. Dictionary of Ulster Biography. Retrieved on 18 January 2011.
3. "Archbishop Daniel McGettigan". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
4. Breandán Mac Suibhne, ‘MacFadden, James (1842–1917)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 16 March 2008 James MacFadden (1842–1917): doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/52706
5. Canning, Bernard (1988). Bishops of Ireland 1870-1987. Ballyshannon: Donegal Democrat. p. 37. ISBN 1870963008.
6. Brady 1876, The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 2, pp. 313–314.
7. Paul Cardinal Cullen and the Shaping of Modern Irish, Desmond Bowen – ISBN 0-88920-136-6
8. "History of the Cathedral". Archdiocese of Armagh. Retrieved 17 November 2020.

Bibliography

• Brady, W. Maziere (1876). The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, A.D. 1400 to 1875. Vol. 2. Rome: Tipografia Della Pace.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Alexander Goss	Titular Bishop of Geras 1856–1861	Succeeded by Victor-Joseph Doutreloux
Preceded by Patrick McGettigan	Bishop of Raphoe 1861–1870	Succeeded by James McDevitt
Preceded by Michael Kieran	Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland 1870–1887	Succeeded by Michael Logue