Patrick O'Hely
Irish Roman Catholic bishop of Mayo
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.
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.
- 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.