Conor O'Devany
bishop, martyr
Who they were
Conor O'Devany, a Franciscan of Donegal, was named Bishop of Down and Connor in Rome and consecrated on 2 February 1583. He was imprisoned in Dublin Castle from 1588 to 1590, though no capital crime could be proved against him.
In 1611, almost eighty, he was seized while administering confirmation. Convicted of high treason by a packed jury, he was drawn to the gallows through crowds of Catholics begging his blessing, and executed at Dublin on 11 February 1612.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
An aged bishop who died for the Faith rather than deny it.
The cause
The cause continues. No postulation address is published here yet. Favours received through this person’s intercession, and offers of help, are best sent to the religious order or congregation they belonged to, or to the diocese where the cause was opened; either will pass them to the postulation.
Connected on this site
- Patrick O'Loughran Blessed“Under interrogation, O'Loughran admitted that he had given sacraments to exiled members of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland, and that he had assisted the Irish bishop, Blessed Conor O'Devany.” — Wikipedia
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Conor O'Devany
- Wikidata Q5162282 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Concobhar Ó Duibheannaigh (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.