As Bishop of Cloyne and Ross, Dr. Coppinger, served as a trustee of Maynooth College upon its establishment in 1795. He was a strong opponent of the Veto giving the crown a say in episcopal appointments. He opposed the Irish Rebellion of 1798, partly due to the anti-religion ethos of the French Revolution which inspired it, and partly because he believed that the government was attempting to provoke the people. With the failure of the French Expédition d'Irlande, Coppinger issued a pastoral letter in 1797 urging his clergy to offset "the suggestion of designing men" and "confound the malice of agitators".