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Daniel Murphy was born on 17 June 1881 in Cork. He was baptised in St. Finbarr’s Church on 19 June 1881. His parents were James and Sarah Murphy (née Flynn) of Ethelville, Western Road, Cork. He was a student of Presentation College and later Rochestown College in Cork. He applied for entrance to the Capuchin novitiate in August 1898 taking the religious name of Columbus. He was ordained a priest in 1906. He subsequently studied at the Catholic University of Louvain and obtained a Bachelor of Divinity in 1909. His life as a friar was mostly devoted to missionary and retreat work. At the outbreak of the 1916 Rising Fr. Columbus was a member of the Church Street community in Dublin. He would go on to play an important role in bringing about a cessation of hostilities. The day after the surrender of the Four Courts garrison on 29 April there was still confusion in North King Street and in other locations as to whether this was a truce or a complete surrender. To clarify, Fr. Columbus went to the Four Courts to retrieve Patrick Pearse’s note which had led to the surrender of Commandant Edward Daly. He later negotiated with the British military to arrange a personal meeting with Pearse in Arbour Hill and brought a copy of his surrender order to Commandant Patrick Holohan at North Brunswick Street. Between 30 April and 4 May Fr. Columbus was called upon to minister to prisoners in Kilmainham Jail prior to their executions. He later compiled a memoir recording his experiences of ministering to various rebel leaders awaiting their court martials and sentencing (IE CA IR-1-2-6). Fr. Columbus later acted as President of Father Mathew Hall, Church Street, Dublin, from 1925-8. He died on 20 February 1962.

Francis Cantillon was born near the village of Glounthaune in County Cork on 20 June 1880. He attended the local diocesan seminary for several years, but after some discernment entered the Capuchin novitiate in September 1899. Having completed his philosophical and theological studies, he was ordained on 16 March 1907. In 1910 he was appointed guardian (local superior) of the Capuchin friary in Kilkenny. Following the completion of his term as guardian, he engaged in the ministry of preaching missions and retreats throughout Ireland. He was transferred to the United States in 1926 and took up residence in Mendocino County in California. Later that year he assisted Fr. Thomas Dowling OFM Cap. in ministering in Visitation Valley near San Francisco. This assignment was a temporary one as within a few months the Irish friars were given the administration of the new parish of Our Lady of Angels in Burlingame, California. They resided there in a small house on Cortez Avenue. In 1931 Fr. Berchmans was appointed Pastor of Our Lady of Angels parish in Ukiah, a position he filled until 1937 when he took up the position of pastor of the church of St. Francis of Assisi in Bend, Oregon. His health began to decline in subsequent years, and he retired from active ministry in 1940. He moved to Los Angeles and died there on 12 March 1942. He was laid to rest in the Capuchin plot in Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Baptismal name: Francis Cantillon
Religious name: Fr. Berchmans Cantillon OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 20 June 1880
Place of birth: Rockfarm, Glounthaune, County Cork
Name of father: Denis Cantillon
Name of mother: Mary Ellen Cantillon (née Mahony)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 8 Sept. 1899
Date of first profession: 8 Sept. 1900
Date of final profession: 25 Sept. 1904
Date of ordination (as priest): 16 Mar. 1907
Educational attainments: BA (RUI)
Missionary assignments: Travelled to Los Angeles, California, in 1926
Date of Death: 12 March 1942
Place of death: Queen of Angels Hospital, Los Angeles, California, United States
Place of burial: Calvary Cemetery, Los Angeles, California, United States

John Duggan was born in the village of Ballydehob in County Cork on 7 September 1879. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans in October 1899, took Pius as his religious name, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1907. Most of his priestly life was spent in preaching missions and retreats (in both Irish and English). In his early years, he also took part in the temperance campaign and gave missions in both Ireland and England promoting this cause. For several years he acted as a spiritual director for theology and philosophy students and was guardian (local superior) at the friaries in Rochestown and in Kilkenny (from 1913-6 and from 1931-4). During his years as member of the Church Street community in Dublin, he was director of the sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis and acted as Commissary Provincial of the confraternity. He died on 29 January 1963 and was buried in the cemetery attached to Rochestown Capuchin Friary in County Cork.

Baptismal name: John Duggan
Religious name: Fr. Pius Duggan OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 7 Sept. 1879
Place of birth: Ballydehob, County Cork
Name of father: Timothy Duggan
Name of mother: Sarah Duggan (née Connell)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 1 Oct. 1899
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1900
Date of final profession: 25 Sept. 1904
Date of ordination (as priest): 16 Mar. 1907
Date of death: 29 Jan. 1963
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork

A native of Cork, Fr. Bonaventure Murphy OFM Cap. had a long association with the Capuchin College in Rochestown in the county and served as rector of the school for twenty-one years. While rector, he gave refuge to Captain Robert Monteith (1879-1956) who had accompanied Roger Casement to Ireland in a failed attempt to deliver German arms to be used by republican insurgents in the 1916 Rising. Monteith remained at Rochestown until arrangements could be made for his escape to the United States. Fr. Bonaventure was acquainted with many prominent republicans including Terence MacSwiney and Michael Collins and he reportedly sheltered Liam Mellows during the War of Independence. In 1934 he was appointed guardian (local superior) of the Capuchin Friary in Kilkenny, a position he held until 1940. He continued to reside in Kilkenny until his death.

Baptismal name: Martin Murphy
Name (in religion): Fr. Bonaventure Murphy OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 7 Feb. 1880
Place of birth: Glanmire, County Cork
Name of father: Michael Murphy
Name of mother: Mary Murphy (née Hegarty)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 1 Oct. 1899
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1900
Date of final profession: 25 Sept. 1904
Date of ordination (as priest): 16 Mar. 1907
Date of death: 26 Apr. 1968
Place of death: St. Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny
Place of burial: Foulkstown Cemetery, Kilkenny

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