Events to take place celebrating the birth of St Oliver Plunkett
The 400th anniversary of the birth of St Oliver Plunkett is being marked in both Drogheda and the Oldcastle area of Co Meath this year.
The iconic saint 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.
A group of his friends managed to rescue his head, which eventually made its way to St Peter's Church in Drogheda. The relic remains there to this day in a specially made shrine.
One of the saint's thigh bones is also on display in the side altar of St Brigid's Church in Oldcastle.
A series of events is under way this year to mark 400 years since St Oliver Plunkett's birth, and also the 50 years since his canonisation in 1975, when he became the first newly-made Irish saint for almost 700 years.
Tomorrow will see an event titled the 'Plunkett Clan Gathering' take place at Loughcrew House and Gardens, the ancestral seat of the Plunkett family.
An ecumenical service in the 17th-century church will be followed by historical talks, live music and refreshments, which organisers have said will be a "heartfelt tribute in a place of deep personal resonance for the saint's descendants".
There will be an evening of music and reflection on Saturday with the St Oliver Concert taking place at St Peter's Church on West Street in Drogheda. Musical director Edward Holly will lead St Peter's Male Voice Choir, joined by soloists Seán Tester and Celine Byrne.
However, the culmination of the anniversary year arrives on Sunday with the St Oliver Procession, a pageant of faith and remembrance that will see the community walk together in honour of the local saint.
Starting from Holy Family Church in Ballsgrove, Drogheda at 3pm, the procession will make its way to St Peter's Church, the home of the shrine to St Oliver Plunkett, where a celebratory mass will be held.
This weekend's closing events coincide with the end of an exhibition, which opened last month and includes a number of artefacts and memorabilia associated with the saint.
The Saint Oliver 400 Commemorative Exhibition runs at 'The Exhibition Space' at Drogheda Civic Offices until Saturday.
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