Part 23 - Bishop William MacNeely at the unveiling of the Four Masters monument in Donegal Town

An image of Bishop William MacNeely (central figure, with top hat) at the unveiling of the Four Masters monument in The Diamond, the main square, in Donegal Town in 1938. The obelisk was erected to commemorate the four Franciscan friars (Mícheál Ó Cléirigh, Cú Choigcríche Ó Cléirigh, Peregrine Ó Duibhgeannáin and Fearfeasa Ó Maol Chonaire) who compiled the ‘Annals of the Four Masters’ between 1630 and 1636. Their names are incised into the monument (one to each face). Written in Irish, the ‘Annals of the Four Masters’ (Irish: 'Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'), are one of the most important surviving chronicles of medieval Irish history. The obelisk was designed by the Dublin architectural firm O’Callaghan and Giron, and was unveiled in 1938 by the Bishop of Raphoe, Dr William MacNeely, at the bequest of Patrick Gallagher, solicitor and noted historian, who bequeathed £5,000 for the creation of the monument.