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John Francis O’Connor was born on 13 Feb. 1883 in County Cork. He was born into a devoutly Catholic family. His father, John O’Connor, a teacher, and his mother, Mary Ann Sheehan, were both tertiaries of the Third Order of St. Francis attached to Holy Trinity Capuchin Church, Cork. A brother of Many Ann Sheehan had already joined the Capuchin Franciscan Order. Fr. Luke Sheehan OFM Cap. was one of the first Catholic missionaries to minister in the American state of Oregon. A good number of John’s siblings also entered religious life. John entered Rochestown College, Cork, in the Autumn of 1897. Having successfully completed his secondary education, he entered the Capuchin novitiate on 1 Oct. 1899 and received the religious name of Dominic. A year later he took his simple vows and in the Autumn of the same year began studying for a philosophy degree in the Royal University, Cork. He was ordained a priest on 17 Mar. 1906 in the Capuchin Friary in Kilkenny. He later enrolled in the Catholic University in Louvain where he obtained a Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Sacred Theology). In response to a call from Cardinal Michael Logue, Archbishop of Armagh, Fr. Dominic volunteered for chaplaincy work with the British armed forces during the First World War. After spending two months with a Scottish brigade in England, he transferred to a hospital unit bound for Salonika, Greece. After approximately two years of service, Fr. Dominic resigned his post in 1917, returned to Ireland and was appointed to the Capuchin community in Holy Trinity Friary, Cork. Fr. Dominic soon attained notoriety in nationalist circles and was appointed chaplain to the Cork Brigade of IRA Volunteers by Tomas MacCurtain. As chaplain, Fr. Dominic was the first to appear at the MacCurtain home in Blackpool, Cork, on the morning the Sinn Féin Lord Mayor was killed by British forces (20 Mar. 1920). He also served as chaplain to MacCurtain’s successor as Lord Mayor of Cork, Terence MacSwiney, who was arrested on 12 Aug. 1920. Fr. Dominic ministered to MacSwiney throughout his hunger strike in Brixton Prison and was present for his death on 25 Oct. 1920. Soon after his return to Ireland, Fr. Dominic was arrested at the Capuchin Friary on Church Street, Dublin. He was taken to Dublin Castle and in January 1921 was court martialled and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. During his confinement, he became acquainted with two notable republican detainees, Ernie O’Malley and Pádraig Ó Caoimh. Fr. Dominic served about a year of his imprisonment in Parkhurst Prison. Following the Anglo-Irish Treaty in December 1921, there was a general amnesty for prisoners and Fr. Dominic was released in January 1922. On 25 February 1922, he was granted the freedom of Cork ‘as a mark of respect for his valuable services rendered to the first two Republican Lord Mayors of Cork’. With the onset of the Civil War the Capuchins in Church Street were once more involved in ministering to besieged republicans. In June 1922 the Four Courts, located only a couple of hundred meters from the Church Street Friary, was attacked by Free State forces. Fr. Dominic (assisted by Fr. Albert Bibby OFM Cap.) provided spiritual comfort, assisted in the evacuation of the wounded, and later facilitated the surrender of the defeated garrison. Soon afterwards, Fr. Dominic returned to Holy Trinity Friary, Cork. On 26 Nov. 1922 a decision was made by the Provincial Definitory of the Irish Capuchins to have Fr. Dominic transferred to the Province’s Mission in Bend, Oregon, United States. This was the location of Fr. Luke Sheehan’s (Fr. Dominic’s uncle) pioneering missionary work some years before. For the remainder of his life Fr. Dominic performed routine duties associated with the missionary apostolate of a Capuchin friar. He was appointed temporary rector of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral and published the first of a two-volume history of the Diocese of Baker in 1930. In August 1935 he sustained serious injuries in a car accident from which he never fully recovered. He died on 17 Oct. 1935 and was buried in Bend, Oregon. His remains (along with those of Fr. Albert Bibby OFM Cap.) were later repatriated to Ireland and he was buried in the cemetery of Rochestown Capuchin Friary, Cork, on 14 June 1958

John Hyland was born near the village of Lanesborough in County Longford on 7 December 1881. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans in October 1900 and took Martin as his religious name. He was ordained to the priesthood by Abraham Brownrigg, Bishop of Ossory, at St. Kieran’s College in Kilkenny on 16 March 1907. He held a variety of offices within the Order mainly in the communities at Holy Trinity Friary and at Rochestown College in County Cork. For several years he was Professor of Canon Law in Rochestown and was later appointed guardian (local superior) of the community. He was later transferred to Holy Trinity in Cork city and served two terms as guardian of this foundation. He took a keen interest in the Third Order of St. Francis lay confraternity attached to Holy Trinity Church. He also acted as spiritual director to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He died while attempting to recuperate from a bout of influenza in Glengariff in County Cork. He was buried in the cemetery attached to Rochestown Friary.

Baptismal name: John Hyland
Religious name: Fr. Martin Hyland OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 7 Dec. 1881
Place of birth: Lanesborough, County Longford
Name of father: Patrick Hyland (Farmer)
Name of mother: Brigid Hyland (née Brennan)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 28 Oct. 1900
Date of first profession: 1 Nov. 1901
Date of final profession: 24 June 1905
Date of ordination (as priest): 16 Mar. 1907
Educational attainments: BCL degree, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
Date of death: 2 Apr. 1933
Place of death: Roche’s Hotel, Glengariff, County Cork (He was guardian of Holy Trinity Friary in Cork at the time of his death).
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork

John Hynes was born in Kilwarden in County Meath on 2 February 1879. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans at Rochestown Friary in County Cork in January 1901 and took Malachy as his religious name. Having successfully perused his religious studies in Rochestown, he was ordained to the priesthood in Kilkenny on 16 March 1907. He spent periods in both Kilkenny and Dublin until 1912 when he joined Fr. Luke Sheehan OFM Cap. in the newly established mission in Hermiston in Oregon on the American Pacific coast. He assisted Fr. Casimir Butler OFM Cap. in building up the local parish structures following the departure of Fr. Luke. Fr. Malachy returned to Ireland in 1920 and was initially assigned to the Kilkenny Friary before joining the community in Holy Trinity in Cork. In 1933 he was appointed guardian (local superior) of Rochestown and he remained there until 1937 when he returned to Holy Trinity. He was appointed Vicar there in 1940. For several years he worked as district delegate of the Seraphic Mass Association in Cork raising funds for the overseas’ missionary work of the Capuchin friars. He was also active in missionary work in Ireland particularly in the temperance campaign. Suffering from ill-health in his latter years, he died in Cork on 24 February 1955. He was buried in the cemetery adjoining Rochestown Capuchin Friary.

Baptismal name: John Hynes
Religious name: Fr. Malachy Hynes OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 2 Feb. 1879
Place of birth: Kilwarden, County Meath
Name of father: Michael Hynes (Farmer)
Name of mother: Anne Hynes (née Kelly)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 27 Jan. 1901
Date of first profession: 2 Feb. 1902
Date of final profession: 24 June 1905
Date of ordination (as priest): 16 Mar. 1907
Missionary activities: Travelled to the Western United States in 1912. He returned to Ireland in 1920.
Date of death: 24 Feb. 1955
Place of death: Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork

Baptismal name: Patrick Carroll
Religious name: Fr. Alphonsus Carroll OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 17 Aug. 1874
Place of birth: Killacolla, County Limerick
Name of father: John Carroll (Farmer)
Name of mother: Elizabeth Carroll (née Barry)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 24 Aug. 1902
Date of first profession: 17 Sept. 1903
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1906
Date of ordination (as priest): 5 Sept. 1909
Date of death: 27 Aug. 1934
Place of death: Lindville Hospital, Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork

Patrick Joseph Collins was born on Cotter Street in Cork on 10 August 1885. He was the son of Captain Jeremiah Collins, an employee of the Cork Harbour Board, and his wife Honora Collins. He was educated at the Capuchin College in Rochestown, County Cork and he joined the Capuchin Order in 1902, taking Ignatius as his religious name. He graduated with a BA in Philosophy at the Royal University in Cork in 1908. He was ordained a priest in Kilkenny on 29 May 1910. By all accounts he was an outstanding scholar, and he was awarded a Doctorate in Theology and Philosophy from the Gregorian University in Rome in 1914. In May 1915, he responded to the call of Cardinal Francis Bourne, Archbishop of Westminster, seeking Catholic priests to act as chaplains in the British armed forces. He was sent to France in August 1915 and acted as a chaplain with the 69th Field Ambulance Corps. During the First World War his division served on the Western Front participating in many major offensives including the Battles of the Somme and Messines. In October 1917, the division was transferred to the Italian Front. In January 1918 Fr. Ignatius was awarded the Military Cross and was promoted to the rank of Major. Following the cessation of hostilities, he was demobilised (in 1919) and he initially returned to Rochestown Friary in Cork. In 1922 he was elected guardian (local superior) of the Capuchin Friary in Kilkenny. He ministered in Kilkenny for the next twenty-one years. In 1943 he was transferred to the Church Street Friary in Dublin and was appointed Vicar of the community. He remained a member of the Dublin fraternity until his death on 21 October 1961.

Baptismal name: Patrick Joseph Collins
Religious name: Fr. Ignatius Collins OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 10 Aug. 1885
Place of birth: Cork
Name of father: Jeremiah Collins
Name of mother: Honora Collins (née Cowhig)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 24 Aug. 1902
Date of first profession: 17 Sept. 1903
Date of final profession: 31 July 1908
Date of ordination (as priest): 29 May 1910
Educational attainments: BA (RUI) 1909; PhD (Louvain), 1914; MA (RUI) 1915
Date of death: 21 Oct. 1961
Place of death: St. John of God’s Hospital, Stillorgan, Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

James O’Sullivan was born in Cork on 2 April 1887. He was the only son of James and Mary O’Sullivan of Deane Street and later of Lower George’s Street in the city. His early education was with the Christian Brothers and at the Seraphic College in Rochestown in County Cork. He entered the Capuchin novitiate in August 1902 and took Cyril as his religious name. Following a course in philosophy and theology, he was ordained on 29 May 1910. Shortly after his ordination he undertook a postgraduate course in the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium obtaining a Doctorate in Philosophy from the Philosophical Institute of Leo XIII. Returning to his native city, he completed a Master of Arts and was appointed a lecturer in philosophy (Mental and Moral Science) in University College Cork. He was instrumental in the opening of St. Bonaventure’s Capuchin Hostel in Cork and was appointed its first guardian (local superior) in 1919. An enthusiastic supporter of Gaelic games and a fluent Irish speaker, he was involved in the promotion of hurling in various schools and colleges in Cork. He died (following a brief illness) in Cork on 9 December 1921. He was buried in the cemetery attached to the Capuchin Friary in Rochestown in County Cork.

Baptismal name: James O’Sullivan
Religious name: Fr. Cyril O’Sullivan OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 2 Apr. 1887
Place of birth: 14 Deane Street, Cork
Name of father: James O’Sullivan
Name of mother: Mary O’Sullivan (née O’Brien)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 24 Aug. 1902
Date of first profession: 17 Sept. 1903
Date of final profession: 31 July 1908
Date of ordination (as priest): 29 May 1910
Educational attainments: BA (RUI), 1909; MA (RUI), 1915; Doctorate in Philosophy (Louvain)
Date of death: 9 Dec. 1921
Place of death: Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, Cork

Thomas Griffin was born in the town of Doneraile in County Cork on 16 January 1886. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans in February 1903 and took Colman as his religious name. Having took his solemn vows in July 1908, he was ordained to the priesthood in May 1910. He subsequently pursued further theological studies at the International Capuchin College in Rome and received a Doctorate in Divinity (DD) from the Pontifical Gregorian University in the Italian capital. On his return to Ireland in 1914, he taught as a professor in theology in the Seraphic College in Rochestown, County Cork. He spent the greater part of his life teaching friars dogmatic theology both as a professor and as a director of students and master of novices. He held many senior leadership positions in the Order in Ireland and was several times guardian and vicar of various Capuchin communities. He was chosen as the first guardian (local superior) of the new Ard Mhuire foundation which was established in County Donegal in 1930. He was appointed superior of the newly established Raheny Hostel in Dublin in 1946. Fr. Colman was elected five times as a Provincial Definitor (Councillor) and served four terms as Provincial Minister (1937-40, 1940-3, 1949-51, 1952-5). He died in Raheny on 24 August 1971 and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.

Baptismal name: Thomas Griffin
Religious name: Fr. Colman Griffin OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 16 Jan. 1886
Place of birth: Doneraile, County Cork (Diocese of Cloyne)
Name of father: Humphrey Griffin (Farmer)
Name of mother: Anne Griffin (née Carmody)
Date of reception into Capuchin Order: 19 Feb. 1903
Date of first profession: 19 Mar. 1904
Date of final profession: 31 July 1908
Date of ordination (as priest): 29 May 1910
Education attainments: BA (Royal University of Ireland, Cork, 1908); Doctorate in Divinity (Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, 1914)
Leadership positions: Provincial Definitor (Councillor): 1925-8, 1928-31, 1931-4, 1934-7, 1946-9; Provincial Minister: 1937-40, 1940-3, 1949-51, 1952-5; Custos General: 1943-6, 1955-8.
Date of death: 24 Aug. 1971
Place of death: Raheny, Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

John Hayden was born in Gowran, County Kilkenny, on 7 November 1870. His parents were William Hayden, a railway station master, and Mary Hayden (née Morrissey). On 8 December 1884, he was among the first five pupils to be admitted to the recently opened Seraphic School at Rochestown in County Cork. He took Augustine as his religious name upon entering the Capuchin Order in November 1885. Towards the end of his clerical studies his health deteriorated and he was forced to spend two years in Switzerland. He was ordained a priest in the Augustinian Church on Thomas Street in Dublin in November 1893. On 3 August 1896, Fr. Augustine was appointed rector of Rochestown College, replacing Fr. Francis Hayes OFM Cap. He held this position from 1896 to 1907. He later returned to Dublin and was guardian (local superior) of the Church Street Friary from 1913-6. He cultivated a strong interest in the Gaelic Revival and in particular preserving the Irish language. He was associated with Shán Ó Cuív (1875-1940) in establishing the Irish Language College at Ballingeary, County Cork in 1904, the first college of its kind. He was also a regular correspondent with Fr. Peadar Ua Laoghaire (1839-1920), a noted figure in Conradh na Gaelige, and for many years conducted missions in Gaeltacht areas of Counties Kerry and Donegal. In the immediate aftermath of the 1916 Rising, Fr. Augustine accompanied Fr. Aloysius Travers OFM Cap. in visiting Patrick Pearse and James Connolly. He was instrumental in securing the surrender of Thomas MacDonagh at the Jacob’s Factory and was present at Ėamonn Ceannt’s surrender at the South Dublin Union. He also ministered to Ceannt in the hours before his execution. Like the other Capuchin friars of the Dublin community, Fr. Augustine later committed his memories of Easter Week to writing (CA IR-1-4-1). In 1917, he was the celebrant at the wedding of Terence MacSwiney to Muriel Murphy and he was also the celebrant at the marriage of McSwiney’s daughter in Cork in 1940. He authored a number of devotional texts including 'Ireland’s Loyalty to the Mass' (1933) and 'Ireland’s Loyalty to Mary' (1952). Fr. Augustine died on 6 February 1954 in the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork, and was laid to rest in the cemetery adjoining the Capuchin Friary in Rochestown in County Cork.

Denis Field was born in Kilcrea in County Cork on 16 November 1883. He was the son of a farmer and was educated at Kilbonane National School and later at the Capuchin College in Rochestown, County Cork. He was received into the Capuchin Order at Rochestown (taking Thaddeus as his religious name) in October 1905. He studied philosophy at Rochestown College and received a BA degree from the Royal University, Cork, in 1911. He was ordained to the priesthood in Holy Trinity Church, Cork, on 5 July 1914. Shortly after his ordination, Fr. Thaddeus was appointed to the teaching staff at the Seraphic College in Rochestown. Most of his religious life was spent in Rochestown and for many years he served as Vice-Rector of the College. Fr. Thaddeus also held other offices in the Irish Capuchin Province. At various times he was Guardian (local superior) of the Rochestown community, Vicar and Vice-Master of Novices in the Kilkenny foundation, and President of Father Mathew Temperance Hall in Cork city. His later years in Rochestown were affected by recurring bouts of ill health. He died in Cork on 9 December 1962 and was buried in the cemetery adjoining Rochestown Friary.

Baptismal name: Denis Field
Religious name: Fr. Thaddeus Field OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 16 Nov. 1888
Place of birth: Kilcrea, County Cork
Name of father: Denis Field (Farmer)
Name of mother: Ellen Field (née Murphy)
Date of reception in the Capuchin Order: 1 Oct. 1905
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1906
Date of final profession: 21 Jan. 1912
Date of ordination (as priest): 5 July 1914
Educational attainments: BA, (RUI) 1911
Date of death: 9 Dec. 1962
Place of death: Lindville Hospital, Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork

Baptismal name: Jeremiah Kelleher
Religious name: Fr. Patrick Kelleher OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 1 Apr. 1887
Place of birth: Coolea, Ballyvourney, County Cork (Diocese of Cloyne)
Name of father: Patrick Kelleher (Farmer)
Name of mother: Honora Kelleher (née Lynch)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 26 Aug. 1906
Date of first profession: 17 Sept. 1907
Date of solemn profession: 21 Jan. 1912
Date of ordination (as priest): 5 July 1914
Date of death: 26 Sept. 1959
Place of death: Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork