The Irish standard., 1893-05-27
FATHER SHEEHY.
A Martyred Irish Prbst Whose
Memory is Highly Vsnerated
by His Countrynen.
PROTESTANT PERSECUTION.

Drawn, Beteaded and
CHARTERED by tromwellian
Landlcds.s
In q lonely vale, mong the Galtee
mountains, in the ounty Tipperary,
to the old llage OF Clogheen,
is situate the anci,t churchyard of
Shandraghan. On ailapidated slab in
this obsolete buryingf round may be read
the following inscriph:
Here lieth the rnains of the Rev.
Nicholas Sheehy, Paih Priest Of Shan
draghan, Ballysheen,nd Templeheney.
He died March 18th, '66, aged 33 years.
Erected by his sisterC Catherine Burke,
alias Sheehy."
The people Of the jality regard this
spot Of earth as holyound, and numer-
ous pilgrims perfor their devotions,
ever and anon, at thvenerated shrine.
Nicholas Sheehy waDrn at Clogheen,
of an ancient Celtic lilly, in 1873. The
penal laws againsRoman Catholics
we're, at that time. snuously enforced
in Ireland by sevelstatutes of which
It was forbidden theis Catholic peo-
ple. on the severest ,nalties, to obtain
education at home, to emigrate for
such purpose to form countries. In
defiance of those lawoung Sheehy was
sent to France to Educated, and at
tanned considerable efficiency as lin
4uist. At the inetalof his parents, he
entered the ecclesiaal state, and be-
came profound th,gian. The same
outrageous code thsrbade the educa-
ticn of Catholics proited also the ex-
erciee of priestly ctions in Ireland;
but. as Father Sheeaad been educated
in defiance of the allaw, he returned
Z to his native land anissionary priest,
armed with the samld determination.
He found his natiMunster in state
of fearful misery. 'ernment persecu.
tions and authorizations had rom
dered the conditionhe people worse
than slavery. The antry had banded
themselves togetheHsist the demands
for tithes and excant rents. Tur-
bulence and commc were rampant in
the land. Young br Sheehy was of
q generous nature, PISSED the kindest
of hearts, and thhout his career,
proved himself actd by a lively sense
of Justice. Contrae the condition of
the Irish peasantHth that of the
French. among whoe had lived, he
attributed the misesf Ireland to the
fact that she did noern herself; and
under this reaectiGis character be-
came deeply imbue4d his course of
conduct shaped by theory of Swift,
that government at the will Of the
people is tyranny.he Catholic Di-
ocesan committed t'charge the par
ishes mentioned in oitaph. A grip
ing, unscrupulous f named Dobbin,
farmed the tithes Gishes, in one Of
which there existed,er Protestant
! church nor parsohe parishioners
had frequently obi to paying the
tithes; but, now, the encourage
ment of their priest,also objected to
pay church rates. magistrates of
Tipperary were at time exerting
every means to e1tiremocratic prin-
ciples, and crush Why termed ':the
Whiteboy insured Professional
pursuivants, who nthsn livelihood
by priest catching, Wkewise busily
employed, and, to that satisfaction
y of the magistracy, hsupon the track
of Father Sheehy, al him, and had
him tried for exercise priestly func-
tions. He was, howacquitted, be-
cause nobody couldound to prove
i that he had performat the prose-
cutors called "Popils." The Di-
ocesan had condenaD9W Whiteboy as
sociation, and instr,hiss clergy to
denounce it. A fellqed Ross, OBJ
sequious to the Bishcunction, con-
fessed TO Father Shest he had been
r71:<. .,l,o,,, .,nd o%s3r:l,