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Nicholas Phelan was born in Graiguenamanagh, a small town on the border between Counties Carlow and Kilkenny, on 16 June 1874. He joined the Capuchins at the age of sixteen, took Benedict as his religious name, and was professed in 1891. He was ordained a priest in Holy Trinity church in Cork in January 1899. Following his ordination, he was appointed Master of Novices and spent five years ministering in Cork. In 1904 he was transferred to the Capuchin Friary on Church Street in Dublin. He worked in the capital for the next forty years and was the principal organiser of the choir in St. Mary of the Angels on Church Street for most of this time. He served as Provincial Secretary from 1910 to 1913. He was appointed vicar in 1919 and was guardian (local superior) of the Capuchin community on Church Street from 1922 to 1925. He acted as spiritual director of the Sacred Heart Sodality for many years and was also director of the local Third Order of St. Francis confraternity. He was well-known as a mission and retreat giver throughout Ireland but particularly in almost all the parishes in County Dublin. At the time of his death (on 19 July 1947) he was a member of the Capuchin community in Kilkenny. He died in a nursing home at 7 Mount Street Crescent in Dublin following a long period of illness and was buried in Glasnevin cemetery in the city.

Baptismal name: Nicholas Phelan
Name in religion: Benedict
Date of birth: 16 June 1874
Place of birth: Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny (Diocese of Kildare of Leighlin)
Name of father: John Phelan
Name of mother: Mary Phelan
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 23 June 1890
Date of first profession: 15 Aug. 1891
Date of final profession: 11 Oct. 1896
Date of ordination: 8 Jan. 1899
Date of death: 19 July 1947
Place of death: Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

William Corrigan was born in Dublin on 25 April 1835. He was received into the Capuchin Order in Italy in 1854 as at this time there existed no novitiate for the training of friars in Ireland. He took Salvator Maria as his religious name upon joining the Order. He was ordained a priest in Bologna on 23 April 1859. He returned to Ireland soon afterwards and ministered in Dublin and Cork until 1867. His time in Dublin was marked by a vigorous campaign to secure funds for the construction of St. Mary of the Angels on Church Street. He became a well-known figure in Smithfield Market, appealing to local traders and sellers for funds to aid the completion of the new Gothic-style church. He also travelled to England and Scotland in search of contributions. In 1868 he was sent to the United States to collect money to defray the enormous debt incurred in building the church. He spent approximately seven years traversing America raising funds. He returned to Dublin in 1875 and resumed his ministry in the Church Street Friary. He was present in Dublin when Fr. Gil de Cortona OSFC, General Minister of the Capuchin Order, came to Ireland on visitation in 1876. Having some knowledge of Italian, Corrigan accompanied the Minister General as an interpreter as he travelled around Ireland to visit the various Capuchin houses. In 1884 Corrigan volunteered for missionary work in the diocese of Allahabad in India. Seemingly a popular cleric, musicians from St. James’s Brass Band played before a large crowd from St. Michan’s Parish who had gathered at North Wall as he left for the Indian subcontinent. Failing health and the harsh climate forced him to return to Ireland just two years later. He remained a member of the Church Street community in Dublin until his death on 6 October 1919. He was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.

Baptismal name: William Corrigan
Religious name: Fr. Salvator Maria Corrigan
Date of birth: 25 Oct. 1835
Place of birth: Dublin
Name of father: John Joseph Corrigan
Name of mother: Teresa Corrigan (née Byrne)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 27 Nov. 1854
Date of first profession: 29 Nov. 1855
Date of ordination (as priest): 23 Apr. 1859
Date of death: 6 Oct. 1919
Place of death: Capuchin Friary, Church Street, Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

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

Thomas Bibby was born on 24 October 1877 in Bagenalstown, County Carlow. He was baptised on 28 October 1877. His family were proprietors of a woollen mill at Greensbridge and operated two drapery establishments in Kilkenny City, one in Parliament Street and another on High Street. He entered the Capuchin novitiate at Rochestown on 7 July 1894 and took the religious name of Albert. He was solemnly professed on 8 May 1900 and was ordained a priest at St. Mary of the Angels, Church Street, Dublin, on 23 February 1902. A gifted scholar, Fr. Albert was among the first batch of Capuchin students to receive a BA degree from the Royal University. He later became a professor of philosophy and theology and taught these subjects to Capuchin students for some years after his ordination. One of his first students was Fr. Dominic O’Connor OFM Cap. Fr. Albert was active in the Gaelic revival movement and became a fluent speaker of Irish. He was also engaged in temperance advocacy and gave missions sometimes solely in Irish in Gaeltacht areas. He was also involved in the Columcille branch of Conradh na Gaelige in its early years. Briefly a part of the community of friars in Kilkenny, he moved to Church Street, Dublin, in the early 1900s. In the aftermath of the Easter Rising, Fr. Albert ministered to a number of rebel prisoners in Kilmainham Jail and in other locations. He was present at the execution of Seán Heuston on 8 May 1916 and wrote an account of his final hours. He was later a regular correspondent with prominent republicans and their relations. On 16 December 1920 both Fr. Albert and Fr. Dominic O’Connor OFM Cap. were arrested by British forces during a raid on the friary on Church Street. Fr. Albert was detained for some hours in Dublin Castle but was afterwards released whilst Fr. Dominic was sentence to five years’ penal servitude. When the Four Courts was attacked on 27 June 1922 in the opening engagement of the Civil War, Fr. Albert was present in the building alongside Fr. Dominic. Both priests remained with the Anti-Treaty irregulars until the Four Courts was evacuated. They then proceeded to administer to Cathal Brugha and other IRA men occupying the Hamman Hotel on O’Connell Street. In June 1924, Fr. Albert was sent to the United States and was eventually appointed Pastor of the Capuchin Mission at Santa Inez in California. He immediately set about restoring both the parish and the structures of the old Franciscan Mission. Modern plumbing and electricity systems were installed at Santa Inez and Fr. Albert was joined by Friars Reginald O’Hanlon and Colmcille Cregan. However, Albert’s health deteriorated and he was soon admitted to St. Francis Hospital in Santa Barbara County. He died on 14 February 1925, a mere three months after his arrival in Santa Inez. He was buried just outside the mission’s chapel. His remains (along with those of his former pupil Fr. Dominic O’Connor OFM Cap.) were later repatriated to Ireland and he was buried in the cemetery of Rochestown Capuchin Friary, Cork, on 14 June 1958.

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

Baptismal name: Edward Bowe
Religious name: Fr. Peter Bowe OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 19 Sept. 1856
Place of birth: Tullaroan, County Kilkenny
Name of father: Thomas Bowe (b. 3 Nov. 1816)
Name of mother: Ellen Bowe (née Maher) (b. 1815)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 8 Apr. 1877
Date of first profession: 21 Apr. 1878
Date of final profession: 8 Sept. 1881
Date of ordination (as priest): 27 Aug. 1882
Leadership positions: Provincial Minister: 1901-4, 1907-10, 1916-9, 1922-5; Provincial Definitor (Councillor): 1887-90, 1890-3, 1893-6, 1895-8, 1898-1901, 1913-6; Custos: 1904, 1910, 1919, 1925
Date of death: 25 Nov. 1926
Place of death: Church Street Friary, Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

Louis Riordan was born in Leeds in England on 15 September 1891. He joined the Irish Province of the Capuchin Franciscans in September 1911 and took Urban as his religious name. Soon after his ordination he was sent to the mission custody established by the Irish Capuchins on the west coast of the United States. He was assigned to St. Mary’s parish in Ukiah, Mendocino County, California. During his time in Ukiah, he wrote a short account on the ministry of the Irish friars in the United States. In 1929 he was transferred to the Blessed Sacrament mission in Elk, California, where he ministered until 1936. From 1941 to 1945 he was an associate pastor at Our Lady of Angels parish in Hermiston in Oregon. He returned to Ireland in 1951 and was appointed to communities in Church Street, Dublin, Holy Trinity, Cork, and the Church of St. Francis in Kilkenny. His final years were spent in the Capuchin house in Raheny in Dublin. He died on 1 November 1973 and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin.

Baptismal name: Louis Riordan
Religious name: Fr. Urban Riordan OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 15 Sept. 1891
Place of birth: Leeds, England
Name of father: William Riordan
Name of mother: Johanna Riordan (née Ryan)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 17 Sept. 1911
Date of first profession: 17 Sept. 1912
Date of final profession: 8 July 1916
Date of ordination (as priest): 3 May 1918
Missionary assignments: Travelled to the United States in November 1919; Returned to Ireland in 1951.
Date of death: 1 Nov. 1973
Place of death: Church Street, Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

Francis Kennedy was born on Fingal Street in Dublin on 15 June 1904. He joined the Capuchin Franciscan Order in September 1935 and took James as his religious name. He spent the greater part of his apostolate working the land on the farm attached to the Capuchin Friary in Rochestown, County Cork. After several years in Rochestown, Brother James took up residence with the community of friars in Holy Trinity in Cork city. He was transferred to the Kilkenny Friary in July 1960 in which year he celebrated his silver jubilee. He died in Kilkenny on 6 June 1967 and was buried in Foulkstown Cemetery.

Baptismal name: Francis Kennedy
Religious name: Br. James Kennedy OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 15 June 1904
Place of birth: Dublin
Name of father: John Kennedy (Builders’ Labourer)
Name of mother: Ellen (Dora) Kennedy (née Purcell)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 18 Sept. 1935
Date of first profession: 19 Sept. 1936
Date of final profession: 19 Sept. 1939
Date of death: 6 June 1967
Place of death: Capuchin Friary, Kilkenny
Place of burial: Foulkstown Cemetery, County Kilkenny

A native of Tarbert in County Kerry, Thomas O’Connor was born on 16 July 1859. At the age of seventeen, he joined the Capuchin Franciscans and took Matthew as his religious name. He was ordained a priest on 27 August 1882. He held several senior leadership positions in the Order in Ireland and was twice elected Provincial Minister (1893-6 and 1898-1901). He served as President of Father Mathew Memorial Hall on Church Street in Dublin from 1894 to 1895. Much of his later life in ministry was spent in Kilkenny and he died in the Capuchin Friary in the city on Sunday, 27 April 1930. He was buried in Foulkstown Cemetery just outside Kilkenny city.

Baptismal name: Thomas O’Connor
Religious name: Fr. Matthew O’Connor OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 16 July 1859
Place of birth: Tarbert, County Kerry
Name of father: John O’Connor
Name of mother: Ellen O’Connor (née Heagerty)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 16 July 1876
Date of first profession: July 1877
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1880
Date of ordination (as priest): 27 Aug. 1882
Leadership positions: Provincial Minister: 1893-6, 1898-1901; Provincial Definitor (Councillor): 1885-8, 1887-90, 1890-3, 1905-8, 1910-3; Custos: 1887, 1890, 1895, 1901, 1907.
Date of death: 27 Apr. 1930
Place of death: Capuchin Friary, Kilkenny
Place of burial: Foulkstown Cemetery, County Kilkenny

James Killian was born in County Longford on 11 January 1872. He entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order and took Camillus as his religious name in 1893. He was ordained by Archbishop William Walsh in St. Mary of the Angels, Church Street, Dublin, in February 1902. For several years he was on the teaching staff of Rochestown College in Cork (March 1902-September 1906). He later acted as a missioner in Church Street, Dublin (until 1907), and guardian (local superior) of the Capuchin Friary in Kilkenny (from 1907-1910). He travelled to the United States in late 1911 and was appointed pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish in Roseburg in Oregon in January 1912. During Fr. Killian’s pastorate a new stucco church was begun which was dedicated by the Most Reverend Alexander Christie (1848-1925), Archbishop of Oregon City, in 1916. Camillus was later transferred to Abbottstown in Pennsylvania where he assisted the friars in giving retreats and novenas. In 1917 he was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Angels parish in Hermiston, Oregon. He returned to Ireland in 1920 and ministered from the Capuchin Friary on Church Street in the capital. He was appointed spiritual director to the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis confraternity and later served as Provincial Definitor (Councillor) from 1931 to 1933. He died in a nursing home on Jervis Street in Dublin on 14 December 1941. He was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.

Baptismal name: James Killian
Religious name: Fr. Camillus Killian OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 11 Jan. 1872
Place of birth: Moher, Pollagh, County Longford (Diocese of Elphin)
Name of father: Laurence Killian
Name of mother: Sarah Killian (née Connolly)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Franciscan Order: 23 Mar. 1893
Date of first profession 24 April 1894
Date of final profession: 25 Dec. 1897
Date of ordination (as priest): 23 Feb. 1902
Educational Attainments: B.A. (Royal University of Ireland, Cork), 1901
Overseas Missions: Left Ireland for the Western American Capuchin Mission at Roseburg, Oregon, on 10 Dec. 1911. He arrived in Oregon in early 1912. He returned to Ireland in 1920.
Other appointments: Fr. Killian was Guardian (Superior) in the Capuchin Friary, Kilkenny from 1907-10. He served as Provincial Defintor (Councillor) from 1931-3.
Date of death: 14 Dec. 1941
Place of death: Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin