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Patrick O'Hely
Irish Roman Catholic bishop of Mayo
BlessedResearchedFranciscans
Born
1550
Died
1579
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
—
not yet
Who they were
Patrick O'Hely, a Connacht Franciscan who excelled at Alcalá, was made Bishop of Mayo in Rome in 1576. Sailing home in 1579, he landed in Kerry, was betrayed and seized with the friar Conn O'Rourke.
Offered his see if he would accept the royal supremacy, he answered that he could not barter his faith for life or honours. He was put to death at Kilmallock in September 1579.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A bishop who would not barter his faith for life.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Patrick O'Hely
- Wikidata Q7147390 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Patrick O'Hely (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.