Exhibition marks 400th anniversary of St Oliver Plunkett's birth
The official launch of an exhibition to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the birth of St Oliver Plunkett will take place in Drogheda, Co Louth today.
The exhibition will include a number of artefacts and memorabilia associated with the iconic saint that have never previously been on public display.
St Oliver Plunkett was born in Loughcrew in Co Meath on 1 November 1625 and was ordained to the priesthood in Rome in 1654, having studied at the Irish College in the city.
He later became the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and maintained his duties in the face of the Penal Laws when the Catholic Church was being suppressed.
St Oliver Plunkett was eventually arrested and tried for treason in London. He was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn on 1 July 1681.
His head was rescued by a group of his friends and eventually made its way to St Peter's Church in Drogheda, where it remains today in a specially made shrine.
A series of events is taking place in the town this year to mark 400 years since St Oliver Plunkett's birth, and also the 50 years since his can canonisation in 1975, when he became the first newly-made Irish saint for almost 700 years.
The official launch of the St Oliver 400 Commemorative Exhibition will take place at the Drogheda Civic Offices on Fair Street.
The exhibition will include St Oliver's Crozier loaned from a private collection, the original ebony casing which housed the saint's head and an original coffin plate from the Monastery of St Catherine of Siena in Drogheda.
Other items going on public display are three silver crucifixes attributed to the saint and vestments loaned from St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh and Mullingar Museum.
The exhibition also includes a large collection of banners, books, coins and a written account of the then archbishop's trial in London in 1681.
Co-chair of the Saint Oliver 400 Community Group, Tommy Burns said: "It is fitting that St Oliver who reformed the clergy, built schools, brought peace and hope to the people is still so fondly remembered in Ireland, and exemplified in this important exhibition in Drogheda, 400 years after his birth."
Meanwhile, local historian Séamus Bellew, who specialises in heraldry and genealogy, said: "This exhibition brings together a rare collection of items, comprising books, brasses and the reliquary that housed St Oliver's head, all from the 17th century and much more besides...a must see."
Thomas McEvoy, Deputy Chief Executive of Louth County Council, said it is important to commemorate the life of St Oliver as his story is one of "resilience and integrity during some of the most turbulent periods in our history."
Mr McEvoy said: "His unwavering commitment to peace, reconciliation, and education serves as a timeless example for us all and the Saint Oliver 400 Exhibition brings this legacy to life in a new and powerful way.
"On behalf of Louth County Council, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Saint Oliver 400 Community Group who have organised this exhibition here in our Civic Offices in the heart of Drogheda."
The exhibition runs at 'The Exhibition Space' at Drogheda Civic Offices on weekdays until 4 July.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Number of historical abuse allegations against Church rise by over 50% in a year
Abuse allegations against the Catholic Church spiked by more than 50% in Ireland last year. Some 385 abuse allegations were made in 2024/2025, up from 252 allegations in the previous reporting period of 2023/2024. The 'startling' rise in historical abuse allegations has been linked to last year's publication of the Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools run by Religious Orders. It is the highest number of new allegations in any reporting period since the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSCCCI) began publishing figures annually in 2009. The figures are published in the NBSCCCI's annual report for 2024 which covers the period from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. The majority of allegations (291) involve sexual abuse; 55 allegations were of physical abuse, four of boundary violation, one of neglect, one of emotional abuse, one of bullying and 32 cases of alleged abuse for which the type was not provided. In some cases, particularly those relating to sexual abuse, emotional abuse is also noted on the referral form. The vast majority of the allegations were historical, and relate to the period from 1960 to 1989. 282 of the 385, or 73%, are in this category. Two or less than 0.5%, relate to the period post-2000. But 47, or 12%, of allegations did not give a definite timeframe. The 385 allegations were made against 376 respondents, the vast majority of whom were male. Some 64% (241 of the 376 accused) are deceased. Of the remainder, six were still in ministry, 34 (9%) are in prison, a further 25 (7%) are subject to a management plan while 52 (14%) have either been laicised, left the Church Body or are out of ministry. The status of 26 of the accused was unknown. Senior Counsel, Mary O'Toole SC led the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools run by Religious Orders. The report runs to more than 700 pages. It followed a series of abuse allegations from the 1960s and 1970s at schools run by religious congregations. 'There has been a significant increase in the number of new allegations notified to the National Board,' said Aidan Gordon, NBSCCCI CEO. 'This increase in notifications was predominantly from September of 2024 and coincided with the release of the Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools run by Religious and the subsequent media coverage. These events in September 2024 appear to have given individuals renewed strength to tell of their experiences. John Boland contributed to that scoping inquiry as one of a group of survivors of a then Christian Brother teacher, Seán Drummond, at Creagh Lane CBS national school in Limerick in the late 1960s. Mr Boland and many classmates were regularly molested between the ages of six and seven by Drummond in the school. Drummond was a teenager at the time, having entered the Christian Brothers aged 14 and began teaching age 17. Mr Boland and other former Creagh Lane pupils eventually took their abuser to court, where he admitted indecently assaulting 19 pupils, pleading guilty to 36 charges. Drummond was sentenced to two years in prison in 2009. Mr Boland believes there are many more people who have never come forward about the abuse they suffered in religious institutions. 'There will be a lot more,' he said. 'I know a lot of people who are reluctant to come forward. 'I'm hearing stories of abuse that are not in the Scoping Inquiry. And the abuse mainly happened to under-privileged kids who had no education and whose parents had no education, who had no one to fight or them. 'What we're hearing about is just the beginning. But a lot of people [who were abused] have passed away now. A lot of those people we will never hear from.' John Boland contributed to that scoping inquiry as one of a group of survivors of a then Christian Brother teacher, Seán Drummond (pictured), at Creagh Lane CBS national school in Limerick in the late 1960s. File picture: Liam Burke/Press 22 Rachel Morrogh, Chief Executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said that the rise in the number of people reporting sexual violence at the hands of clergy "is naturally very upsetting and reflects the deep, lasting and terrible impact of abuse by those in authority, even decades later". "We hope the increase in people coming forward is a reflection of a community of survivors that is feeling increasingly empowered to speak out. 'This report shows that there are still victims and survivors out there who had not come forward until recently. There must be adequate resources and supports in place for those who need them, and there must be redress for victims and survivors that does not involve adversarial, damaging processes." Support can be found through the 24 hour Rape Crisis Centre National Helpline on 1800 778888. Read More Christian Brothers lose bid to have Limerick abuse case dropped against former Brother
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
‘You're not Irish, you're Black': Hospital worker sacked after racial abuse complaints loses case at WRC
A tribunal has upheld the sacking of a hospital catering supervisor who denied telling a subordinate 'you're not Irish, you're black' and claimed the worker 'made it up'.
Sunday World
2 hours ago
- Sunday World
Terror chief ‘Harmless' Harry Stockman on brink of being kicked out of the UVF
Stockman's desperate attempt to save pal Irvine from the chop have backfired and he could be gone within a week The paramilitary leader is said to be staring down the barrel as restless members turn their sights on him after years of corruption and he is set to follow close associate Winston `Winkie' Irvine out the door. Stockman's desperate attempt to save pal Irvine from the chop have backfired and he could be gone within a week. A vote of no-confidence has been called and Stockman will find himself on the outside after years of lining his pockets on the back of the UVF name. His friend Irvine's fate was sealed at a secret Battalion meeting this week and brings to an end a long criminal career and a charmed existence. Irvine, long time commander of UVF B Company in the Woodvale, is a wealthy man, thanks in part to a string of publicly-funded jobs – but more directly as a result of his criminal activities including racketeering and drugs. According to sources, he was also responsible for ordering beatings and forcing people from their homes, all of which made him a hate figure. The British and Irish governments turned a blind eye to his activities in the hope he was the man who could deliver the UVF away from criminality. Now, members of the terror group believe he was the under the control of British security services. This week, the Sunday World can reveal the chain of events that led to Irvine's expulsion and the shake up at the top of the organisation in decades. Irvine is said to be stunned at his expulsion, believing the leadership of Stockman and chief of staff John `Bunter' Graham had his back. But Graham saw the writing on the wall during a meeting of 1st Battalion UVF, attended by Brigade staff, company commanders, and senior members. They demanded Winkie's head and Bunter granted them their wish. With Irvine gone and Stockman likely to follow him out the door it raises fresh questions about the future of Graham himself. After more than four decades as chief of staff he now appears isolated. His ailing health could see him stepping down. Stockman would have been seen as his natural successor but with his fate all but sealed, the smart money is on Shankill commander Sam Austin, according to source. Allegedly the leader of the unit, he is a popular figure and is believed to have been one of the loudest calling for Irvine and Stockman to be expelled. The son of legendary UVF commander, the late Sam 'Pinky' Austin, he is seen as a safe pair of hands and is anti-drugs. He is vehemently anti-drugs having lost his son Dan to an accidental overdose in 2018. Graham had come under pressure in recent weeks to replace Stockman as second in command with Austin but may now step aside completely. Irvine now hasn't a friend in he world. His demise has been a long time coming but was inevitable the moment his MI5 handlers dropped him in 2022, sources believe. That came in the wake of a hoax bomb attack carried out by his UVF B Company and was aimed at then Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney who was attending a cross community peace building event in north Belfast hosted by the John Hume Foundation. Not only did his security service masters not know about it neither did Graham who insisted it had not been sanctioned. Irvine initially tried to dodge the blame claiming it had nothing to do with him and in a meeting with Irish government representative tried to pass the buck to East Belfast UVF and Mid-Ulster UVF. East Belfast at the time was at loggerheads with the Shankill leadership. Stockman went behind Graham's back telling senior figures that he had lost control of rogue elements within the organisation. Betraying Graham was a fatal mistake but even as the net was closing in Stockman tried fiercely for his friend even as details of Irvine's connections with intelligence services and the PSNI emerged during his court appearance and conviction for gun running. Anger remains over the sentence handed down to his co-accused Robin Workman who was ordered to transport a cache of weapons to Irvine. The guns were found in the boot of Irvine's car after the pair were intercepted in June 2022. Workman got five years while Irvine got 30 months and will likely to be out within a year. There is also suspicion around the delay in sentencing the pair and that Irvine's light sentence was influenced by the intelligence services. Last week we revealed that Graham had ordered Irvine was to be left alone to serve his sentence. But without the cover of UVF membership he is vulnerable, particularly as he is sharing a wing with the five people convicted of the murder of Ian Ogle, none of whom have any allegiance to the UVF. Others include Gary Taylor and Nigel Brown serving life for the 2005 murder of schoolboy Thomas Devlin in 2005 both of whom have been stood down and have come under threat from the UVF behind bars. Another is Stephen Brown doing 30 years for the double murders of teenagers Andrew Robb and David McIlwaine in Tandragee in 2000. Attention will now turn to Stockman, a divisive figure. A former shop steward in Shorts he rose to the top of the UVF following the Good Friday Agreement. He was lucky to survive when UVF man Dee Madine stabbed him 10 times in 2011. UVF sources have told the Sunday World a battalion meeting will take place shortly when Stockman's fate will be sealed. Harry Stockman News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday June 10
