The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-09-27
the LATE BISHOP LEAHY.
The Diocese Of Dromore, Ireland, Loses
Its Sanity Old Bishop And All
Are in Mourning.
THE OLD DIOCESE or DRoMoRE.
It Was Established BY a Saint, And
is the Smallest Diocese in
Ireland. q I,

The diocese Of Dromore, the death Of
whose bishop, DR.. Leahy. was recently
announced by cable, is one of those
I Irish sees whose antiquity is so great
that no account remains to US Of the
exact date Of it's foundation, while
there are several gaps in the line Of its
episcopal succession, owing to the fact
that tie names of many incumbents Of
| tbs see are rot on record. St. Colman
was the founder Of the diocese, and as
he lived IN the early part Of the sixth
century. that epoch is generally accepted
as the date OF it's foundation. When or
where this first prelate received his
episcopal conservation is not known;
neither is there any record left us OF
the cate of his death. but his festival
occurs ON the 9Th Of June, aud Butler
says OF him that he s'was descended
from the sept uf the Arabs, and WAS
born in SIS, according to Bishop Usher.
He was the first abbott Of Mnckmore.,
| in tbs county of Antrim, and was after.
| wards chosen drst bishop OF n.omore, a
snail see under Armagh, and not far
distant from it. Jucelin, in his life of
St. Patrick, tells us that his eminent
virtue was foretold by st. Patrick; and
his leger q ascrlbes to him many mira.
cles and the wonderful conversion OF q
great number OF souls to G',d. The
ancient scholiasG on the 4E sgussian
Martyrology observes that he was also
called Mocholmoc. He died about the
year $40, on the 7th of June, or. &C
corallng to some, on the 27Jh of October,
on which daY he was also commem-
orated.''
The history Of the Dromore diocese
after the death Of it's first bishop be-
comes vague and indisttnct. Some
contend that it was then annexed to
Armagh, or held By the anetropolltans
Of that see in cOmmendam as the say
ing is. No mention il made Of any
successor to BISHOP Colman until 972,
when Mae brlrid Mac Cathasaige is
named as the incumbent, aud Bishop
Rigan is said to have governed the
diocese in the latter part of the twelfth
century, from which date the line OF
prelates runs forward unbrOken. There
must have been an interrognum before
Bishop Rigan's term, however as In
the distribution Of dloceses nade at the
council of Kells, which Was held in | Isl.
there Is no mention made Of Dromore.
From the time Of Bishop Gerard. who
was elected the ordinary III 1927, and
who governed the diocese for The en-.
suing seventeen years, Dronore had.
up to 1410 or thereabouts, ten bishops,
whose virtues and devotion to their
duties won them the admiration Of
their subjects and enhanced the pros
perity OF the churches. After them
came a number of preIates VINO under
took to govern tho diocese without
residing in IL, and are kuOwn as alb
sentees. I'm consequences the see was
reduced to such state OF poverty that
it was difficult to ind anv priest willing
to accept its administration. The dis
tinguished Carmelite. Thomas Scrope,
was one Of these absentee prelates.
though it is said OF him that he expeDd
ed all the revenue he received from the
diocese on the poor or in pious uses
and be resigned long before his death.
as during the latter portion Of his life
Dromore was under the guard anshlp
OF the Archbishop Of Armagh. In 1889.
George Cram, a Greek, was made the
ordinary OF the diocese. but ten years
later he was translated Cd the see Of
Elphin. During the present century
this diocese has had Dix bishops. DIR
sLeahy. lately deceased; Bishop Michael
Blake, his Immediate predecessor. who
was consecrated On ST. Pntrick's day,
1888; Bishop Thomas Kelly. VINO after
wards became primata OF all Ireland as
archb shop Of Arm .g'l i, and who died in
1885 of fever contracted in the discharge
of 5lis sacred functions; Bishop Hugh
OKally. who died ii 1926; B, shop Ed
mond Derry, who SdecsAstd dYss years
before that date. and B snop Lsnno N,
who governed the.see il the first year
OF the century
1 The bishops of Dronore reside at
Newry, ID the county Dowp !. and the
diocese includes p,rtions Of that county
aud parts of Armaat and ntrim
Neury was formsrtY q SSparllamentary
bofoueh. aud il had sin olden Sti.nes