Hugh O'Hession
Encyclopedia
Biography
Ua hOissín was one of four bishops granted palliaPallium
The pallium is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them by the Holy See. In that context it has always remained unambiguously...
at the Synod of Kells in 1152 by the papal legate Cardinal Archbishop Giovanni Paparoni
Giovanni Paparoni
Giovanni Paparoni was an Italian Cardinal and prominent papal legate in dealings with Ireland and Scotland.He was created Cardinal by Pope Celestine II in 1143. He presided at the Synod of Kells in 1152, which decided the system of four archbishops for Ireland...
.
He came from a family with some church connections: Aed Ua Oisin was also the name of a coarb of Iarlaith of Tuam (abbot of Jarlath
Jarlath
Saint Iarlaithe mac Loga, also known as Jarlath , was an Irish priest and scholar from Connacht, remembered as the founder of the monastic School of Tuam and patron saint of the Archdiocese of Tuam...
's Monastery) in the late 11th century – this abbot is said to have died in 1085. He was preceded and succeeded as chief Bishop of Connacht by members of the prominent ecclesiastical family of Ó Dubhthaigh.
Politics
Ua Oisin was closely connected with Kings Toirdelbach Ua Conchobair, and with Ruaidrí Ua ConchobairRuaidrí Ua Conchobair
Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair , often anglicised Rory O'Connor, reigned as King of Connacht from 1156 to 1186, and from 1166 to 1198 was the last High King before the Norman invasion of Ireland .Ruaidrí was one of over twenty sons of King...
, Kings of Connaught
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
and High Kings of Ireland. He is associated, as Abbot of Tuam
Tuam
Tuam is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The name is pronounced choo-um . It is situated west of the midlands of Ireland, and north of Galway city.-History:...
(and therefore prior to his accession), with a spectacular High Cross in Tuam, which honours King Toirdelbach.For Association of the Turlough, Hugh and the High Cross see Petrie, Hourihane and Edwards
The High Cross http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=m5O0Z7UjgwoC&pg=PA124&lpg=PA124&dq=the+irish+church+in+the+eleventh+and+twelth+century&source=bl&ots=GkdLX_G5w3&sig=eZTc90sdWxKM7TgEybVVIDkz4mY&hl=en&ei=WyKjSanlB9TIjAeLobHLCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPA169,M1 is enscribed with the message "A prayer for O'Ossin; for the Abbot; by whom it was made". He is probably one of the few 12th century Irishmen whose image survives on a monument.The High Cross in Tuam
Cross of Cong
The Cross of Cong is an early 12th century Irish Christian ornamented cusped processional cross, which was, as an inscription says, made for Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair , King of Connacht and High King of Ireland to donate to the Cathedral church of the period that was located at Tuam, County...
(as seen in this picture from the Galway Public Library) was reassembled by George Petrie in the 1820s with the help of one Martin Hession, a resident of the town of Tuam
Tuam
Tuam is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The name is pronounced choo-um . It is situated west of the midlands of Ireland, and north of Galway city.-History:...
. See Petrie http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=YnTEasqBBEkC&dq=petrie+ecclesiastical&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=n-_l5uj8l1&sig=xtLYIwMQpidzbAYO2gJp4dGH7p8&hl=en&ei=GCGjScfZENyxjAef5unpCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result
In 1134 as Abbot of Tuam the Annals of Innisfallen record that he was sent by Toirdelbach with Muireadhach Ua Dubhthaigh
Muireadhach Ua Dubhthaigh
-Background:A member of a Connacht ecclesiastical family, Ua Dubhthaigh was born during the reign of King Áed Ua Ruairc . His family were natives of Lissonuffy in what is now north-east County Roscommon, and produced a number of abbots and bishops....
then Bishop to make peace with Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
.http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=YnTEasqBBEkC&dq=the+ecclesiastical+architecture+of+ireland+petrie&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=n-_l5uc4t-&sig=-RuItWSKW33-_NoUYnAmy-tb7bw&hl=en&ei=fgSjSe6vIpC0jAeS9qjWCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA315,M1. Ua Oisin also was associated with Bishop Muiredach Ua Dubthaig in protests to Ua Dubthaig regarding the arrest of Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair
Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair
Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair , often anglicised Rory O'Connor, reigned as King of Connacht from 1156 to 1186, and from 1166 to 1198 was the last High King before the Norman invasion of Ireland .Ruaidrí was one of over twenty sons of King...
, Toirdelbach's son, in the early 1140s.
His investiture in 1152 was the culmination of a long negotiation by St Malachy of Armagh
Armagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
to secure reform of the Irish Church and settle the appointment of metropolitans by the Pope Eugenius III
Pope Eugene III
Pope Blessed Eugene III , born Bernardo da Pisa, was Pope from 1145 to 1153. He was the first Cistercian to become Pope.-Early life:...
. St Malachy died in 1148 on his mission to secure the palia - in the arms of St Bernard of Clairvaux.The pallia was a symbol of office. The initial plan was apparently to secure two palia for Armagh and Cashel. Only late (after 1148) were the claims of Tuam and Dublin considered. see Pallium
Pallium
The pallium is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them by the Holy See. In that context it has always remained unambiguously...
.. The legate Giovanni Paparoni
Giovanni Paparoni
Giovanni Paparoni was an Italian Cardinal and prominent papal legate in dealings with Ireland and Scotland.He was created Cardinal by Pope Celestine II in 1143. He presided at the Synod of Kells in 1152, which decided the system of four archbishops for Ireland...
was twice refused passage to Ireland by King Stephen of England. Aubrey Gwynn
Aubrey Gwynn
-Life:He came from a Protestant academic family, the son of Stephen Gwynn and the grandson of John Gwynn, professor of theology at Trinity College Dublin. Gwynn converted to Roman Catholicism at age 10, when his mother was received into the Catholic Church.. He attended the Jesuit-run Clongowes...
concludes that Ua Oisin was not a Bishop immediately prior to his investiture as the first Archbishop of Tuam and of Connacht. Rather he was one of the five candidate bishops mentioned at Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
, and received his pallium
Pallium
The pallium is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them by the Holy See. In that context it has always remained unambiguously...
as Archbishop later at Mellifont/Kells
Kells
Kells may refer to the following people:* Machine Gun Kelly , Cleveland Rapper/poet #LTFU #EST the movement.* R. Kelly, an American R&B musician...
on Palm Sunday.
In 1156 after King Toirdelbach's death he was prevented from joining a Synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
called by the Ua Mael Sechlainn Kings of Mide
Kings of Mide
In medieval Ireland, the Kings of Mide were of the Clann Cholmáin, a branch of the Uí Néill. Several were High Kings of Ireland. After the collapse of the kingdom in the 12th century its dynasty, the Ua Mael Sechlainn or Ó Melaghlins, were forced west and settled on the east bank of the Shannon...
by representatives of the king. A Synod of Connaught clergy was held in Roscommon
Roscommon
Roscommon is the county town of County Roscommon in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 5,017 . The town is located near the junctions of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.-History:...
instead.
Death
Hession died in 1161 and was succeeded by Cadla Ua DubthaigCadla Ua Dubthaig
Cadla Ua Dubthaig, second Archbishop of Tuam, 1161–1201.Ua Dubthaig was member of a Connacht ecclesiastical family originally from Lissonuffy in what is now north-east County Roscommon...
. Hession was considered sufficiently deserving to be buried in a magnificent marble tomb that survived until the mid 16th century. A new street has recently been named in his honour in Tuam.
Ó hOisín and Hession
Ó hOisín/Hession is a surname native to County GalwayCounty Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
. Other notables of the surname include:
- Liam Ó hOisínLiam Ó hOisínLiam Ó hOisín, Irish scribe and translator, fl. 1825-1871.Ó hOisín was a native of Cummer, County Galway and a prolific scribe active in the middle years of the 19th century. During his lifetime he recorded poems ; Fenian lore and sagas from Irish mythology; and verse in both Irish and English...
, scribeScribeA scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession and helps the city keep track of its records. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing...
and translatorTranslationTranslation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
, fl. 1825-1871 - James HessionJames HessionJames M. Hession was an Irish Fine Gael politician and solicitor who served as a Teachta Dála , representing the Galway North constituency in Dáil Éireann...
, Fine GaelFine GaelFine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
Teachta DálaTeachta DálaA Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
, 1912–1999 - Paul HessionPaul HessionPaul Hession is an Irish international track and field athlete who specialises in the sprinting events, particularly the 200 metres...
, Irish international track and field athlete, born 1983