Irish Catholic Martyrs

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Irish Martyrs are the hundreds who are credited for dying for their Roman Catholic faith between 1537 and 1714 in Ireland.

Religious persecution of Catholics in Ireland began under Henry VIII, when Parliament adopted the Acts of Supremacy, establishing the king’s supremacy over the Church. Priests, bishops, and those who continued to pray for the pope were tortured and killed. Other acts caused any act of allegiance to the pope to be considered treason. Many were imprisoned on this basis.

There was a long delay in starting the investigation into their cause, for fear of reprisals. Further complicating the investigation is that the records of these martyrs were destroyed, or not compiled, due to the danger of keeping such evidence. After the Catholic Emancipation, the cause for Oliver Plunkett was re-visited. As a result, a series of publications on the whole period of persecutions was made.

The first to complete the process was Oliver Plunkett, Archbishop of Armagh, canonized in 1975 by Pope Paul VI.

Irish Martyrs
Died	1537–1714, Ireland
Martyred by	English monarchy
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Beatified	September 27, 1992 by Pope John Paul II
Feast	June 20
Saints Portal

Seventeen martyrs were beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 27, 1992. They are known as Dermot O'Hurley, Margaret Bermingham Ball, Francis Taylor and their fourteen companions.^[1] Among them are:

Patrick O'Hely, bishop (d. August 31, 1579)
Wexford Martyrs (d. July 5, 1581) – Patrick Cavanagh, Matthew Lambert, and fellow sailors found guilty of aiding in the escape of Viscount Baltinglass
Conor O'Devany, bishop (d. February 11, 1612) with Patrick O'Loughran, priest
Terence Albert O'Brien, bishop (d. October 31, 1651)
William Tirry, priest (d. May 12, 1654)

Various churches have been dedicated to the martyrs, including: